How Common Are Gallstones?

At least 20 million people in the United States have gallstones. And about 700,000 surgeries are done to remove the gallbladder each year.1

More women than men develop gallstones. People who are obese are more likely to develop gallstones than people who are not overweight.

References

Citations

  1. Glasgow RE, Mulvihill SJ (2010). Treatment of gallstone disease. In M Feldman et al., eds., Sleisenger and Fordtran’s Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease, 9th ed., vol. 1, pp. 1121–1138. Philadelphia: Saunders.

Credits

ByHealthwise Staff
Primary Medical ReviewerE. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine
Specialist Medical ReviewerArvydas D. Vanagunas, MD - Gastroenterology
Last RevisedJuly 15, 2011
By: Healthwise StaffLast Revised: July 15, 2011
Medical Review: E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine
Arvydas D. Vanagunas, MD - Gastroenterology

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