Risk Factors for Gallstone Formation in Young Saudi Women: A Case Control Study

Abstract

Letters to the EditorRisk Factors for Gallstone Formation in Young Saudi Women: A Case Control Study Salim A. Chaudhry and MRCPI Shahid BarlasMRCP(UK) Salim A. Chaudhry King Fahad Hospital, Medina Munawara, Saudi Arabia Search for more papers by this author and Shahid Barlas King Fahad Hospital, Medina Munawara, Saudi Arabia Search for more papers by this author Published Online:1 Jul 1993https://doi.org/10.5144/0256-4947.1993.383SectionsPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload citationTrack citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail AboutAbstractThe Annals of Saudi Medicine welcomes letters to the Editor from its readers. They may be on any topic, though the Editor especially encourages discussion of papers published in the Annals. Letters should be no more than 100 typewritten lines in length, typed double space, and submitted in triplicate. Letters may include one figure or brief table and up to five references. Submission of a letter constitutes permission for the Annals to use it for publication; letters should not duplicate similar material being submitted or published elsewhere, and the Annals reserves the right to edit letters submitted. Letters referring to a recent Annals article should be received within six weeks of the article's publication.IntroductionTo the Editor: We were interested to read the study by Ahmed et al, “Risk factors for gallstone formation in young Saudi women: A case control study” [1]. It is a good effort by the authors as there have been few studies to look into the etiology and risk factors of various diseases in the Saudi population. However, certain points need to be mentioned. We feel that there has been a bias in selecting the controls in this study. Both patients and controls have been cases referred to the hospitals with some form of medical complaint. Controls were found to be negative for gallstones by ultrasound examination; this makes them a highly selective population.It is concluded in the study that the positive family history of gallstones was significantly higher in the patient population. This impression is based only on interviewing the patients. Ultrasonic examination of first degree relatives was not carried out. Since many gastrointestinal diseases like peptic ulcer disease, gastroesophageal reflux and irritable bowel syndrome can mimic symptomatic gallstones, one cannot rely on history alone.Genetic factors cannot be considered as possible risk factors in this study, as the large population in Medina Munawara has a different ethnic background. We feel that a larger nationwide study is required in different regions of Saudi Arabia to ascertain the real incidence as well as factors influencing the development of gallstones in the Saudi population.ARTICLE REFERENCES:1. Ahmed AF, El-Hassan OM, Mahmoud ME. "Risk factors for gallstone formation in young Saudi women: a case control study" . Ann Saudi Med. 1992; 12(4):395-9. Google Scholar Previous article Next article FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 13, Issue 4July 1993 Metrics History Published online1 July 1993 InformationCopyright © 1993, Annals of Saudi MedicinePDF download