Effect of Seasonal Variation on the Incidence of Gallbladder Stone Complications

Introduction Seasonal variation is a common factor in the development of gastrointestinal conditions, including gallstone complications such as chronic cholecystitis, acute cholecystitis (AC), and acute biliary pancreatitis. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of seasonal temperature variation on the incidence of gallstone complications in adult patients admitted to King Fahad Specialist Hospital (KFSH) in Buraydah, Saudi Arabia. Methods This retrospective study analyzed 1,719 complete medical records of adult patients (>15 years) undergoing emergent or elective cholecystectomy at KFSH, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia, for gallstone-related indications (acute biliary pancreatitis, AC, common bile duct (CBD) or biliary obstruction, chronic cholecystitis, first-time diagnosed uncomplicated gallstones). Patients <15 years and those with incomplete records, non-gallstone, or rare gallstone complications (e.g., fistula, polyps, adenomyomatosis, Lemmel syndrome, Mirizzi syndrome, malignancy) were excluded. Diagnoses were standardized via validated ultrasound reports, and seasons were assigned based on the latest ultrasound diagnosis. Data were processed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 27.0 (Released 2020; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States).  Results The study revealed that the summer season had the highest frequency of first-time diagnosed gallstones with and without complications (n=716, 41.7%). Overall, the prevalence of gallstone complications was found in 528 patients (30.7%). The most common gallstone complications were AC (49.2%, 260 cases), followed by CBD or biliary tree obstruction (31.4%, 166 cases). Additionally, age (adjusted OR (AOR)=2.092; 95%CI=1.214- 3.603; p=0.008) and gender (AOR=1.590; 95%CI=1.280- 1.976; p <0.001) were identified as significant independent predictors of gallstone complications, with male patients and those aged 65 years and above being more likely to develop gallstone complications Conclusion The study demonstrated a trend toward increased gallstone complications during the summer season among adult patients in Buraydah, Saudi Arabia; however, this seasonal variation was not statistically significant after multivariate analysis (p = 0.318). Male sex and age ≥65 years were identified as significant predictors. These findings support targeted awareness efforts focused on high-risk populations.