Mortality Trends of Gastrointestinal, Liver, and Pancreaticobiliary Diseases: A Hospital-Based Prospective Study in the Southeast of Iran

Gastrointestinal (GI), liver, and pancreaticobiliary diseases, in addition to the high health care utilization, account for a significant proportion of disability and death in Iran. We aimed to assess the incidence of in-hospital mortality for the total GI, liver, and pancreaticobiliary diseases in all hospitals in Kerman, Iran.

In a cross-sectional study from May 2017 to April 2018, we collected the data of in-hospital death records due to GI, liver, and pancreaticobiliary diseases in all hospitals in Kerman city. GI and liver diseases were classified into three main categories: 1. Non-malignant GI diseases, 2. Non-malignant liver and pancreaticobiliary diseases, and 3. GI, liver, and pancreaticobiliary malignancies. All data were analyzed using SPSS software, version 22 (IBM).

Of 3427 in-hospital mortality, 269 (7.84%) deaths were due to GI, liver, and pancreaticobiliary diseases, of which 82 (30.48%) were related to non-malignant GI disorders, 92 (34.20%) to the non-malignant liver and pancreaticobiliary diseases, and 95 (35.31%) were associated with GI, liver and pancreaticobiliary malignancies. Most patients were male (62.08%), and the most common age was between 60-80 years (40.5%). GI bleeding occurred in 158 (58.73%) patients, and variceal bleeding was the most common cause (28.48%). Additionally, cirrhosis was reported in 41 out of 92 (44.56%), and hepatitis B virus (HBV) was the most common cause of cirrhosis among 17 out of 41 (41.46%).

Our results show that gastric, colorectal, and pancreatic cancers and cirrhosis due to HBV were the most common causes of mortality associated with GI, liver, and pancreaticobiliary diseases in the hospitals of Kerman.