Symptoms of gallstone disease in a Swedish population

Abstract

Objective: To assess the significance of symptoms of gallbladder stones.

Design: A population-based screening study to identify patients with gallbladder stones and to investigate their symptoms. To compare these results with symptoms in gallstone-free individuals and in patients with clinically diagnosed gallbladder stones, in order to find out which symptoms are associated with gallbladder stones.

Methods: Five hundred and fifty-six men and women, aged 40 and 60 years, were screened with ultrasonography to find subjects with gallbladder stones and those already cholecystectomized. One hundred clinically diagnosed gallstone patients were investigated for symptoms and compared to individuals in the survey.

Results: There was no symptom that occurred significantly more frequently in patients with incidental gallbladder stones than in individuals without. Patients with clinically diagnosed gallstones suffered significantly more often from most of the symptoms that were assessed.

Conclusion: The majority of people with incidental gallbladder stones are asymptomatic. A large minority of gallstone-free individuals in the general population have abdominal symptoms. Combinations of different symptoms may increase their predictive value to a level with clinical utility.