Information on face-to-face patient/GP consultations is available nationally from a representative sample of General Practices in Scotland.An analysis of the recorded incidence of stomach and digestive system disease based on this sample is shown in table 1 below, covering the period from the first introduction in Europe of foods with GM ingredients.Table 1 Incidence rate per 1,000 populationYearNumber of GP PracticesStomach DiseaseDigestive system disease(including Stomach disease)1995724.0194.819963317.7173.119974319.2175.619984020.3182.1Information derived from GP prescriptions which provide details of the number of prescribed items for drugs which act upon the gastrointestinal system is shown in table 2.Table 2Number of items prescribed by GPsYearDigestive system disease(including Stomach disease)YearDigestive system disease (including Stomach disease)19924,627,57819965,415,88119934,850,77619975,528,73219945,070,25819985,706,33819955,211,694 There are a multitude of possible factors behind stomach and digestive system disease and the existence of any trends cannot easily be attributed to any one factor.