Data from a new pan-European study on the burden of digestive diseases, presented today at UEG Week 2022 and published in the United European Gastroenterology Journal, highlights a worrying increase in the prevalence of various digestive diseases since 2000. These include chronic liver disease, pancreatitis, gastroesophageal reflux disease, gastritis, intestinal vascular disorders, and celiac disease in children. In addition, the incidence and mortality rates of all digestive cancers combined have increased by 26% and 17% respectively in the period 2000-2019.
The report identifies that digestive diseases affect more than 300 million people across Europe and the Mediterranean area and that the associated economic costs are substantial. The incidence and prevalence of many digestive diseases are highest among the young and the elderly, and as Europe’s population ages, this disease burden will inevitably increase.
Age-standardized incidence and mortality have been shown to increase for liver and pancreatic cancer in most European countries since 2000, with alcohol consumption, obesity and other risk factors Modifiable lifestyle factors identified as key contributors to a large portion of the overall burden of these digestive tracts. disorders The increasing incidence of colorectal cancer among young adults is also an area of concern.
Researchers from the University of Liverpool, UK, who carried out the study on behalf of the UEG, observed increasing trends in the burden of digestive diseases due to high body mass index (BMI) across the continent. And while some progress has been made to reduce the burden attributable to alcohol since 2000, alcohol consumption remains a major contributor to the burden of disease. One element of positive news that comes out of the study is the decrease in the health burden related to smoking in almost all European countries, following national intervention strategies.
A key factor highlighted in the report is that population-level social and economic differences between countries explain much of the differences in the burden of digestive diseases, with countries most disadvantaged, as measured by the development index human, who suffer a greater burden of most digestive diseases.
Regarding the economic burden of digestive diseases, the UEG report finds that, on average, the estimated cost of providing inpatient health services (excluding treatment and diagnosis) for digestive diseases as a percentage of product gross domestic product (GDP) was 0.12% in the 31 countries included in the study. This translates into a potential EU-wide cost of approximately $20 billion in 2021.
“The health, economic and social burden of digestive diseases is increasing at an alarming rate,” says Helena Cortez-Pinto, president of the UEG. “Our health systems and economies are already in a fragile state and urgent action is needed to address these burdens, through public education, modulating lifestyle choices and research, to reverse these alarming trends.”
According to the report, if premature mortality related to digestive diseases could be reduced by 25% in the 31 European countries, the estimated savings from preventing productivity losses would amount to a total of €11.4 billion (in 2019 ). It rises to 22.8 and 34.2 million euros for reductions of 50% and 75% respectively.
The burden of digestive diseases, as measured by disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), tends to be higher among Central and Eastern European countries compared to Western and Southern Europe, especially for diseases chronic liver diseases, pancreatitis, gastritis and duodenitis, vascular intestinal disorders. and peptic ulcer disease.
Strong inequalities in health remain across Europe and, with emerging economic challenges, we expect these inequalities to worsen further. Unfortunately, despite their substantial prevalence and global impact, many digestive diseases are still poorly understood and attract relatively little attention from a policy or funding perspective.”
Luigi Ricciardiello, Chairman of the Research Committee, United European Gastroenterology
The UEG conducted a similar study in 2014 that highlighted similar burdens, and with limited improvements since then, the results and outcomes of this latest UEG study will help accelerate progress in reducing the burden of disorders digestive It will also help identify priority areas where research and investment are required across Europe, as well as in individual countries.
Tanith Rose, principal investigator of the study commissioned by the UEG, concludes: “The lack of progress over the last two decades in reducing the incidence of digestive diseases underlines the need for greater adoption of effective preventive strategies. Social and economic factors contribute to important differences in the burden of most digestive diseases, and efforts to reduce the burden that do not take these factors into account are likely to have limited success.”
Source:
United European Gastroenterology