Validity of the correlation of gallstones and pancreatic pathology

In a necropsy survey of 724 patients from the Hebrew University Hospital (1964-67) 107 patients were found with gallstones. Ninety-five patients matched according to age and sex served as controls. No difference was found between control and gallstone patients with regard to the incidence and type of pancreatic pathology, except for intestinal metaplasia which was more frequent in the controls. Significantly more pancreatic pathology was found in Ashkenazi-born patients without gallstones than in the respective non-Ashkenazi group. In patients with gallstones no difference in pancreatic pathology was found between the two ethnic groups.Females with gallstones had significantly more hepatic disease than females without gallstones. This difference was not found in males. Hepatic disease alone was associated with a higher incidence of pancreatic pathology.