Increasing gallstone prevalence and cholecystectomy rate in a large Romanian town

Abstract

To study whether the increasing prevalence of gallstone disease noted in a 100-year interval in a large Romanian town has continued in recent years, we analyzed all necropsies (5234) performed during 10 years (1983-1992) in Cluj-Napoca. Gallstone disease (GD) was defined as the presence of stones or the absence of the gallbladder due to cholecystectomy. The results obtained were compared to those of the previous 10-year period (1973-1982). We found a significant increase of GD both in men (6.9% to 9.8%) (P < 0.001) and women (17.1% to 21.7%) (P < 0.001). The ratio of women to men with GD decreased as compared to the first time period (1.4/1 vs 1.8/1). The actual age-standardized prevalence of GD was higher than that calculated for the first time period: 7.6% in men (5.0% in 1973-1982) and 16.9% in women (8.4% in 1973-1982) (P < 0.001). The necropsy cholecystectomy rate rose markedly; 42.1% of the GD men and 43.0% of the GD women had undergone operation during their life. The present study indicates a higher prevalence of GD in the Romanian town than previously found. The actual prevalence is comparable with that of other central European countries, but it is less than that found in England, Scotland, or Sweden.

A 10-Year Follow-up of a Longitudinal Study of Gallstone Prevalence at Necropsy in South East England

“…However, few of these [8,10,18,19] have been necropsy studies, and most have used ultrasound to determine the presence or absence of gallstones. Necropsy studies are liable to bias since only a quarter of deaths in the population with sudden and unexplained deaths are subject to postmortem examination.…”

Sulfonated amphipols: Synthesis, properties, and applications

“…Gallstone prevalence equals to 50% or more among women was found for American Indians in USA,54 and Mapuche Indians in Chile,55 both populations presenting very high GC incidence rates. Other areas reporting high or medium prevalence of gallstones were identified in South America (Chile,55 Argentina,56 Mexico,57 Peru58 and Bolivia59), in Eastern and Western Europe (Austria,60 France,61 Norway,60 Finland,62 the UK,63 Sweden,64 Poland60 and Romania65) and in Australia 66. Very little is known about some countries like India where high incidence of symptomatic gallstones was reported in 1964 for the North‐East of the country (91.6/100,000 women),67 but results from ultrasound‐based studies are not available.…”

Common Variants of ABCB4 and ABCB11 and Plasma Lipid Levels: A Study in Sib Pairs with Gallstones, and Controls

“…The prevalence of cholesterol gallstone disease is rising in industrialized countries in Europe and North America [1][2][3][4][5][6]. Given the higher incidence at advanced ages, the longer life expectancy of the population, and the high costs of cholecystectomy, gallstones are a significant burden for these societies.…”