Gallstones are calculi formed in the gallbladder or bile duct (1).
Classically, gallstones are divided into 3 main types:
NB: cholesterol and mixed stones consist of 51–99% pure cholesterol plus an admixture of calcium salts, bile acids, bile pigments and phospholipids (3).
The typical patient is said to be the "fair, fat, fertile, female of forty", but many gallstone patients do not fit this description.
Factors which precipitate gallstone formation include:
Aapproximately 15% of the adult population are thought to have gallstone disease, and most of these people experience no symptoms (4)
Reference:
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