This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Sign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Epidemiology

Authoring team

Gallstones are commonly seen in the Western world with approximately 5-25% of adults being affected (1).

  • in the UK around 10-15% of the adult population are estimated to have gallstones (2)
  • a higher prevalence is also seen amongst women, and older age group (1)
    • they are found in about 20% of women and 10% of men at the age of 60 (3).
  • in Western society the majority are either cholesterol or mixed cholesterol / calcium bilirubin stones.

Most patients with gallstones are asymptomatic and only about 10% will develop symptoms five years after discovery (2).

Approximately one million new patients present with the symptoms of gallstones each year in the USA. Their treatment costs around one billion dollars.

Cholesterol or mixed stones are more common in the USA and Europe (around 80%) while in Asia, 80% are pigment stones (4)

Reference:

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.