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. 2022 Jul 14;12(7):1144.
doi: 10.3390/jpm12071144.

Changes in the Incidence Rates of Gastrointestinal Diseases Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic in South Korea: A Long-Term Perspective

Hyo Geun Choi  1 , Ho Suk Kang  2 , Hyun Lim  2 , Joo-Hee Kim  3 , Ji Hee Kim  4 , Seong-Jin Cho  5 , Eun Sook Nam  5 , Kyueng-Whan Min  6 , Ha Young Park  7 , Nan Young Kim  8 , Mi Jung Kwon  9
Affiliations

Changes in the Incidence Rates of Gastrointestinal Diseases Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic in South Korea: A Long-Term Perspective

Hyo Geun Choi et al. J Pers Med. .

Abstract

We investigated whether the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, in conjunction with public health measures, influenced the incidence of gastrointestinal diseases according to age and sex during the pandemic. Changes in the monthly incidence rates (January 2018 to June 2021) of common gastrointestinal diseases were assessed using data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service by comparing the data of two periods: before COVID-19 (January 2018-February 2020) and during COVID-19 (March 2020-June 2021). The Mann-Whitney U test and Levene's test were used to compare the differences in the incidences before and during the pandemic. In the pandemic period, compared to in the pre-COVID-19 period, the incidence rates of ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, cholelithiasis, and esophageal reflux significantly increased, whereas those of infective enteritis and irritable bowel syndrome decreased, regardless of age or sex. There were no significant changes in the incidence rates of pancreatitis, acute appendicitis, liver cirrhosis, and hemorrhoids. No seasonal variations in gastrointestinal disease occurrence were observed. In conclusion, the COVID-19 pandemic may have had unprecedented and long-term impacts on the epidemiology of gastrointestinal disease. These changes may indicate a substantial future burden on healthcare resources during the recovery phase of the pandemic and thereafter.

Keywords: COVID-19; epidemiology; gastrointestinal disease; incidence rate.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Overall increase in the monthly incidences of gastrointestinal diseases in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. (A) Crohn’s disease, (B) ulcerative colitis, (C) cholelithiasis, and (D) esophageal reflux.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Overall decrease in the monthly incidences of gastrointestinal diseases in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. (A) Infective enteritis and (B) irritable bowel syndrome.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Lack of overall changes in the monthly incidences of gastrointestinal diseases in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. (A) Acute appendicitis, (B) liver cirrhosis, and (C) hemorrhoids.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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