Prevalence of Anal Fistulas in Europe: Systematic Literature Reviews and Population-Based Database Analysis.

ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION:Despite the fact that perianal fistulas are associated with significant morbidity and impaired quality of life, their prevalence in Europe is unknown. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of perianal fistulas in Europe, overall and according to etiology. METHODS:Two independent literature reviews were performed using different search strategies to maximize the identification of potentially relevant studies. Data from relevant articles were used to estimate the prevalence of perianal fistulas in Europe. The robustness of the estimate was evaluated using data from a large population-based database from the UK. RESULTS:A total of 26 studies provided epidemiological data on perianal fistulas, of which 16 provided suitable data to estimate the prevalence. Estimation

SUBMITTER: Garcia-Olmo D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6860471 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature