[Prevalence of digestive symptoms in normal adult women and its association with cholelithiasis]

The aim of this work was to study the prevalence of biliary diseases and digestive symptoms in normal adult women. Four hundred nineteen women were chosen; of these 145 were discarded due to previous gastrointestinal diseases (20), previous gastrointestinal complaints (38) and previous cholecystectomy (85). Two hundred seventy six women were subjected to abdominal ultrasound examination; of these 53 had cholelithiasis and in three a gallbladder cancer was suspected (and confirmed by surgery). Considering women with previous cholecystectomy, cholelithiasis and gallbladder cancer, a 33.6% prevalence of biliary diseases can be inferred. An interrogation about gastrointestinal symptoms was performed to women subjected to ultrasound examinations, by 2 professionals unaware of ultrasound results. A high frequency of pyrosis, food intolerance and constipation was found, not observing differences between women with or without cholelithiasis. However, these last women had a higher frequency of upper abdominal pain. Both groups had also a high rate of previous surgical procedures.