The clinical value of abdominal symptoms and sonography in gallstone disease

Abstract

Gallstones are a very common finding in adults of Western industrialised countries. At age 60 almost 30% of women and 20% of men will have developed gallstones (Fig. 11-6). Gallstones are rare in children. The prevalence of gallstones is most probably equal between the sexes until puberty, whereafter prevalence increases faster with increasing age among women than men. Gallstones occur more among women than among men at almost every age. After the menopause, the increase seems fairly equal in the two sexes with a marked narrowing of the gender gap with advancing age