Gallstones - Essay ExampleIn general, gallstones are about two times more common in women than in men. Most study series show a prevalence of gall stones in women between the age of 20-55 years (5-20%) and after the age of 50 years, the prevalence for men is about half as that for women in a given age group (Sleisenger, 2002).The first degree relatives of patients with gall stones are 4.5 times more likely to develop the same condition as compared to age and gender matched controls (Sarin, 1995). High-risk populations include Pima Indians in Arizona, where 70% of women older than 25 years have gallstones. About 50 % of Scandinavians develop the condition by 50 years of age.Other high-risk populations comprise the American Indian groups in Alaska, Canada, Bolivia and Chile (Egbert, 1991). The populations at the lowest risk are those in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia (Su CH, 1992)Obesity is a well-known risk factor and individuals with BMI > 45kg/w2 are at a seven-fold higher risk for the development of gallstones in comparison with controls (Stampfer MJ, 1992).
