Cholelithiasis in young Saudi women

We studied some of the factors associated with gallstones in a sub population of Saudi women who presented with cholelithiasis at a rather young age, 17-30 years. We determined the weight, height, ideal weight, overweight, Quetelet index, ideal Quetelet index, and parity in 152 such women designated the study group and in another aged matched group of 152 women without biliary disease designated the control group. Although the mean weights of both groups were greater than ideal, the mean weight, level of overweight, and mean Quetelet index in the study group were greater than those of the controls at virtually all age groups (p > 0.001). In the study group, comparison of the 17-25 year olds with the 26-30 year olds showed close similarity in weight, Q index, and level of overweight (p = 0.50). There was no significant difference in parity between the study group and the controls. We conclude that obesity is a significant factor in the development of cholelithiasis in Saudi women who develop symptomatic gallstones in the age group 17-30 years.