Gallstones in women younger than thirty

In contrast to the usual 2:1 female:male ratio for the presence of gallstones, we found that the 12 patients with symptomatic gallstones under age 30 in this study were all female. This prompted a retrospective study of clinicopathologic findings in these 12 women with gallstones. Chemical analyses of the gallstones confirmed that all were cholesterol stones. Obesity and pregnancy proved to be the outstanding risk factors. The mechanism of obesity and pregnancy as lithogenic factors are reviewed and discussed.