PREVALENCE OF GALLSTONES AND RISK-FACTORS IN CAUCASIAN WOMEN IN A RURAL CANADIAN COMMUNITY

Abstract

The prevalence of gallstones and gallbladder disease was studied in a rural Caucasian population. All women aged 15-50 yr were asked to complete a questionnaire, undergo cholecystography and keep a food record for 4 consecutive days. The gallbladder status was assessed in 73%. The prevalence of gallstones in this population, 167/1000, was considerably higher than that reported in the Framingham study (59/1000) but was not significantly different from that recently found in Micmac Indian women living nearby in Canada (211/1000). In contrast to all the other studies in Caucasian women, the prevalence of gallstones peaked between 30-39 yr in this study. The risk factors, controlled for age, were obesity, a narrow range of daily energy intake, a low daily Ca intake and limited activity. Discriminant analysis showed that skinfold thickness and range of daily energy intake or all measures of obesity together correctly separated the persons with gallstones from those without.