Global prevalence of functional dyspepsia according to Rome criteria, 1990-2020: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Although functional dyspepsia (FD) is a common functional gastroduodenal disorder with a high socioeconomic burden, little is known about its global prevalence. Thus, we performed a comprehensive study to estimate long-term trends in the prevalence of FD. We searched PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, and Google Scholar from 1990 to 2022 for population-based studies that reported the prevalence of FD in adults (≥ 18 years old) according to Rome I, II, III, or IV criteria. The prevalence of FD was extracted from included studies to obtain pooled prevalence with 95% confidence intervals (CI) and 95% prediction intervals. Subgroup analysis was performed according to certain characteristics, including geographic region. A total of 44 studies met the eligibility criteria, including 256,915 participants from 40 countries across six continents. The overall global pooled prevalence of FD was 8.4% (95% CI 7.4–.9.5). The prevalence was the highest in Rome I (11.9%; 95% CI 5.1–25.4) and lowest in Rome IV (6.8%; 95% CI 5.8–7.9). Developing countries showed a higher prevalence than developed countries (9.1% versus 8.0%), and prevalence was higher in women, irrespective of the definition used (9.0% versus 7.0%). The pooled prevalence gradually decreased from 1990 to 2020 (12.4% [8.2–18.3] in 1990–2002 versus 7.3% [6.1–8.7] in 2013–2020). The prevalence of FD differs by country, economic status, geographical region, and sex, and the global prevalence has been gradually declining. Despite the heterogeneity of sample population, our study estimates the current global burden of FD and provides information to heath care policy decisions.</p

National trends in physical activity among adolescents in South Korea before and during the COVID‐19 pandemic, 2009−2021

With the ongoing COVID‐19 pandemic, several previous studies from different countries showed that physical activity (PA) decreased during the COVID‐19 outbreak. However, few studies have examined the recent tendency of PA in the adolescent population. Thus, we aimed to investigate the long‐term trend of PA in Korean youth and the prevalence changes between before and during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Data from Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web‐Based Survey (KYRBS) was collected for consecutive years between 2009 and 2021. The period was separated into prepandemic (2009−2019), early‐pandemic (2020), and mid‐pandemic (2021). Self‐reported amount of PA was categorized into four groups (insufficient, aerobic, muscle strengthening, and both physical activities) according to World Health Organization (WHO) PA guidelines. A total of 840 488 adolescents aged 12−18 who fully responded to the survey were selected (response rate: 95.2%). The 13‐year trends in the proportion of adolescents who reported aerobic and muscle‐strengthening activities met or exceeded 2020 WHO exercise guidelines for adolescents plateaued (11.9% from 2009 to 2011, 14.2% from 2018 to 2019, 14.4% from 2020, and 14.0% from 2021); however, the slope decreased during the pandemic (βdiff, −0.076; 95% confidence interval [CI], −0.123 to −0.029). Proportion of sufficient aerobic exercise among adolescents sharply decreased midst the pandemic (28.0% from 2009 to 2011, 29.4% from 2018 to 2019, and 23.8% from 2020; βdiff, −0.266; 95% CI, −0.306 to −0.226) but increased again in 2021 (26.0% from mid‐COVID 19; 95% CI, 25.4−26.7). Similar patterns were observed in Metabolic Equivalent Task (MET) score (MET‐min/week; 804.1 from 2018 to 2019, 720.9 from 2020, and 779.6 from 2021). The mean difference in MET score between pre‐COVID and post‐COVID was −55.4 MET‐min/week (95% CI, −70.5 to −40.3). Through a nationwide representative study, there was no significant difference with regard to the number of Korean adolescents who achieved the PA guidelines (pre and postpandemic); however, the prevalence of recommended levels of PA needs to increase more based on the trend before the COVID‐19 outbreak. The findings of this study suggest reinforcement of the importance of public health policies for Korean youths to be more physically active, especially during and after the pandemic.</p

Global incidence and prevalence of eosinophilic esophagitis, 1976–2022: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background and AimsOwing to 2018 expanded diagnostic criteria for eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) and thus a possible increase in diagnosis, previous studies on the global incidence and prevalence of EoE may need to be updated. We aimed to describe global, regional, and national trends in the incidence and prevalence of EoE from 1976 to 2022 and analyze their associations with geographic, demographic, and social factors through a systematic review.MethodsWe searched the PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Google Scholar, and Cochrane databases from their inception dates to December 20, 2022, for studies that reported the incidence or prevalence of EoE in the general population. We calculated the global incidence and prevalence of EoE using pooled estimates with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and performed subgroup analysis based on age, sex, race, geographical area, World Bank income group, and diagnostic criteria of EoE.ResultsForty studies met the eligibility criteria, including over 288 million participants and 147,668 patients with EoE from 15 countries across the five continents. The global pooled incidence and prevalence of EoE were 5.31 cases per 100,000 inhabitant-years (95% CI, 3.98–6.63; number of studies, 27; sample population, 42,191,506) and 40.04 cases per 100,000 inhabitant-years (95% CI, 31.10–48.98; number of studies, 20; sample population, 30,467,177), respectively. The pooled incidence of EoE was higher in high-income countries (vs low- or middle-income countries), males, and North America (vs Europe and Asia). The global prevalence of EoE followed a similar pattern. The pooled prevalence of EoE gradually increased from 1976 to 2022 (1976–2001; 8.18; 95% CI, 3.67–12.69 vs 2017–2022; 74.42; 95% CI, 39.66–109.19 cases per 100,000 inhabitant-years).ConclusionsThe incidence and prevalence of EoE have increased substantially and vary widely across the world. Further research is needed to evaluate the incidence and prevalence of EoE in Asia, South America, and Africa.</p

National trends in alcohol and substance use among adolescents from 2005 to 2021: a Korean serial cross-sectional study of one million adolescents

Background Although previous studies have provided data on early pandemic periods of alcohol and substance use in adolescents, more adequate studies are needed to predict the trends of alcohol and substance use during recent periods, including the mid-pandemic period. This study investigated the changes in alcohol and substance use, except tobacco use, throughout the pre-, early-, and mid-pandemic periods in adolescents using a nationwide serial cross-sectional survey from South Korea. Methods Data on 1,109,776 Korean adolescents aged 13–18 years from 2005 to 2021 were obtained in a survey operated by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. We evaluated adolescents’ alcohol and substance consumption prevalence and compared the slope of alcohol and substance prevalence before and during the COVID-19 pandemic to see the trend changes. We define the pre-COVID-19 period as consisting of four groups of consecutive years (2005–2008, 2009–2012, 2013–2015, and 2016–2019). The COVID-19 pandemic period is composed of 2020 (early-pandemic era) and 2021 (mid-pandemic era). Results More than a million adolescents successfully met the inclusion criteria. The weighted prevalence of current alcohol use was 26.8% [95% confidence interval (CI) 26.4–27.1] from 2005 to 2008 and 10.5% (95% CI 10.1–11.0) in 2020 and 2021. The weighted prevalence of substance use was 1.1% (95% CI 1.1–1.2) from 2005 to 2008 and 0.7% (95% CI 0.6–0.7) between 2020 and 2021. From 2005 to 2021, the overall trend of use of both alcohol and drugs was found to decrease, but the decline has slowed since COVID-19 epidemic (current alcohol use: βdiff 0.167; 95% CI 0.150–0.184; substance use: βdiff 0.152; 95% CI 0.110–0.194). The changes in the slope of current alcohol and substance use showed a consistent slowdown with regard to sex, grade, residence area, and smoking status from 2005 to 2021. Conclusion The overall prevalence of alcohol consumption and substance use among over one million Korean adolescents from the early and mid-stage (2020–2021) of the COVID-19 pandemic showed a slower decline than expected given the increase during the prepandemic period (2005–2019)