Community-based study of the incidence of gastrointestinal diseases in The Netherlands
The incidence of gastrointestinal diseases was studied in a community-based study in four regions of The Netherlands. Two grades of severity were distinguished − 1: diarrhoea or vomiting and at least 2 additional symptoms within the period of 1 week, and 2: diarrhoea or vomiting and at least 2 addit...
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Published in | Epidemiology and infection Vol. 112; no. 3; pp. 481 - 487 |
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Main Authors | , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Cambridge, UK
Cambridge University Press
01.06.1994
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | The incidence of gastrointestinal diseases was studied in a community-based study in four regions of The Netherlands. Two grades of severity were distinguished − 1: diarrhoea or vomiting and at least 2 additional symptoms within the period of 1 week, and 2: diarrhoea or vomiting and at least 2 additional symptoms occurring on the same day lasting at least 2 days within the period of 1 week. The incidence of gastrointestinal episodes was calculated to be 630 for grade 1 and 180 for grade 2 disease per 1000 person-years, after correction for age and sex. The incidence was higher for women than for men (relative risk 1·25) and lower for those in the 19–64-year-old age group when compared to those younger or older (relative risk 0·75 and 0·40. respectively). Independent of the degree of severity of the symptoms, about 20% of the patients had consulted a general practitioner, about half in person and half by telephone. It is concluded that community studies are essential to assess the real incidence of gastrointestinal diseases in the population. |
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Bibliography: | istex:17EDC64F99726A70A1398BBED6621AD76347BBA1 ark:/67375/6GQ-PKFRTH41-C ArticleID:05118 Present address of corresponding author: Department of Medical Microbiology. Canisius-Wilhelmina Hospital. P.O. Box 9015. 6500 GS Nijmegen. PII:S0950268800051189 ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 0950-2688 1469-4409 |
DOI: | 10.1017/S0950268800051189 |