The clinical diagnosis of 'gastritis'. Aspects of demographic epidemiology and health care consumption based on a nationwide sample survey.

The health care resources required by patients clinically considered to have gastritis were studied during a 3-year period. The assessment was based on data from a nationwide sample study covering all outpatient care in Sweden. Gastritis, the fourth commonest diagnosis in general practice, accounted for 2% of all outpatient consultations and for 31% of those for gastroenterological disorders. The estimated minimal number of annual consultations for gastritis was 4500 per 100,000 inhabitants. Seventy-two per cent of the patients with gastritis had previously sought medical advice for similar symptoms. Our results indicate that the patient group traditionally denoted as gastritis constitutes a major health care problem in our community, which should be met by a thorough epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory characterization.