Symptomatic gallstones and HIV in black South African women: Changing trends of gallstone disease?

Symptomatic Gallstones in Young Patients Under the Age of 30 Years

Introduction Gallstones are deposits of digestive fluid that is hardened into small pellets. Gallstones can be symptomatic or asymptomatic. The present study assessed the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of patients under the age of 30 years old with symptomatic gallstones. Methodology A prospective, observational study was conducted at Surgical Unit-3, at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), Pakistan, from July 2020 to July 2021. All patients suspected of having gallstone disease underwent ultrasonic examination. A diagnosis of gallstone disease was made if the gallbladder showed a hyperechoic mass casting a posterior acoustic shadow, with a change of position. All of the patients with gallstone disease were hospitalized. The patients were asked about their age, past history (with special emphasis on last pregnancy and years of oral contraceptive use, if any), socioeconomic status, and other demographic data. The patients were treated with a cholecystectomy, either laparoscopic or open. Postcholecystectomy complications, if any, were recorded. Results A total of 210 patients under the age of 30 years were included. The mean age of patients was 25 ± 3 years. The majority of the population were females, i.e., 170 (81%). Upon assessing the risk factors, it was found that 31.84% of the female patients had used oral contraceptives, 32.96% were pregnant at the time of presentation, 20.48% had diabetes mellitus, and 27.14% had a history of gallstones. Furthermore, it was found that about 114 (54.29%) patients were overweight with a body mass index (BMI) of 25-30 kg/m2. High triglyceride levels and high cholesterol levels were found in 108 (51.43%) and 115 (54.76%) of the patients, respectively, indicating a link between symptomatic gallstones and younger age. Conclusion Our study indicated that young people are prone to symptomatic gallstones. The rate of disease was considerably high among females and in patients with high cholesterol and triglyceride levels and abnormal body mass index. Further exploratory studies are needed to determine the cause of gallstones.