Book excerpt: This is a compendium of descriptive statistics on digestive diseases in the United States. Each chapter provides analyses of primary data from recent, large U.S. surveys as well as an interpretative review of the known epidemiology of each disease or condition. These statistics cover both specific diseases as well as conditions or syndromes, specific digestive symptoms, and gastrointestinal procedures. Topics covered include cost of digestive diseases in the United States; infectious diarrheas; viral hepatitis; esophageal cancer; gastric cancer; colorectal cancer; liver cancer; pancreatic cancer; hemorrhoids; esophageal diseases; peptic ulcer; gastritis/nonulcer dyspepsia; acute appendicitis; abdominal wall hernia; inflammatory bowel diseases; diverticular disease of the colon; constipation; irritable bowel syndrome; chronic liver disease and cirrhosis; gallstones; pancreatitis; etc.