Prevalence of diseases of digestive organs in children in the Udmurt Republic

Introduction. Conducting targeted epidemiological studies allows objectively characterizing the health status of the population. Purpose of the work is to characterize current trends in the epidemiology of digestive diseases in children in the Udmurt Republic based on a special study. Materials and methods. Survey of 2516 children of age 6–17 years: 6–14 years — 1,482, 15–17 years adolescents — 1,034. The study was continuous, all students of two secondary schools in Izhevsk. Stages: survey of schoolchildren (n = 2,516) and parents; clinical examination (n = 2,516); laboratory and instrumental examination in children suspected of having pathology of the digestive organs based on the results of stages I and II; IV — summing up and forming a group of children with proven pathology of the digestive organs (n = 1,141). Assessment of the reliability of differences in indicators based on Student’s t-test. Results. The prevalence of gastroenterological diseases among all children does not have a gender component (p = 0.1). In the younger age group, girls and boys get sick with the same incidence. In adolescents, the prevalence of gastroenterological pathology in girls is higher than in boys (p < 0.001). The prevalence among boys of different ages does not have a statistical difference, and among girls of different ages, older schoolgirls are more often affected (p < 0.001). In the structure of pathology of the digestive organs in 6-17 years children dominated due to diseases of the stomach and duodenum. The prevalence of diseases of the hepato-pancreatic-biliary system and intestines was the same. The prevalence of digestive diseases is 453.5 ± 9.9 per 1000 subjects. The proportion of functional diseases is 9.9–96.7%, depending on age and the affected area of ​​the gastrointestinal tract. Conclusion. The true prevalence of digestive diseases exceeds official statistics. The structure is dominated by diseases of the gastroduodenal zone. Epidemiological features include an increase in the prevalence of pathology in girls of puberty. In children aged 6–14 years, functional diseases predominate; in children aged 15–17 years, the proportion of organic diseases increases.