Estimating global prevalence of gallbladder stones in general population from 2000 to 2024: systematic review and...

Gallbladder stones (GS), is one of the most common and costly of all the gastrointestinal diseases. However, global prevalence estimates of GS remain heterogeneous due to methodological variations across studies, and consensus on risk factor hierarchies is still evolving. Therefore, we performed current study in order to estimate the global prevalence of GS.

The quality of included studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Data were analysed via the DerSimonian-Laird random-effects model with Logit transformations, and sensitivity analysis was performed using a 'Leave-one-out' approach.

Of 18,277 identified records, 139 studies were included in the final analysis. The overall global prevalence of GS in the general population was 5.86% (95% CI 5.28-6.47). Marked geographical disparities were observed, with the highest prevalence in Uganda (21.92%, 95% CI 18.43-25.61) and the lowest in Australia (0.18%, 95% CI 0.17-0.18) - a 122-fold difference. Multivariable meta-regression showed that study size was the strongest predictor (importance: 97.79%). Regarding risk factors, female gender, age > 50 years, increased body mass index, and family history of GS were significantly associated with higher GS prevalence. In contrast, factors such as education level, smoking, alcohol consumption, lifestyle, vegetarian diet, and serum lipid levels had no significant impact. Comorbidities including hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) were strongly correlated with elevated GS prevalence.

This meta-analysis showed that the GS was a common disease and affected the health of one in twenty people worldwide. Accurate estimates of the global and population-based prevalence of GS are helpful for healthcare improvements.