The Prevalence of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases in Patients Referring to the Subspecialty Clinic of Ziaeian Hospital in Tehran, Iran in 2019

The present study aimed to examine the prevalence of the diseases and the reasons for outpatient referral of gastrointestinal patients to the subspecialty gastroenterology center of Ziaeian Hospital in Tehran.

In the present cross-sectional study, the main causes of outpatient referrals in 2019 were extracted from the data bank of Ziaeian Hospital. The final diagnosis of all patients is based on the first visit, subsequent referrals, and the diagnostic procedures performed.

The present study examined the data collected from 1072 patients. The results showed that 70% of the participants (756 patients) were female, and the patients in the age group of 41-50 years had the highest frequency accounting for 23.9% of the patients (259 persons). Besides, the most commonly diagnosed diseases in the whole population and both sexes were functional dyspepsia (35.72%), reflux (14.73%), irritable bowel syndrome (8.02%), and anal fissure (8.02%). Furthermore, the early onset symptoms were abdominal pain (44.8%), retrosternal pain and burning (12.7%), bleeding (8.1%), and defecatory disorders (7.5%).

The findings of the study can have some implications for preventive planning and interventions and the allocation of health resources.