Pregnancy and gallbladder disease

Gallbladder disease is a highly prevalent disease in western countries as a consequence of several genetic, biochemical, and environmental factors. Females are a high risk group, and pregnancy increases this risk considerably. In fact, gallbladder diseases are the second most common indication for nonobstetric surgical intervention in pregnancy. In this review, we discuss the most important aspects of gallbladder disease and pregnancy as part of the Symposium on Liver and Pregnancy, co-sponsored by the Mexican Association of Hepatology and the Mexican Association of Gynecologists and Obstetrics.