RESUMO
To determine the surgical incidence of cholelithiasis in Hyderabad and adjoining areas. Design: Cross sectional study. Settings: Surgical Units of Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoro; Memon Charitable Hospital; Wali Bhai Rajputana Hospital; Naseem Medical Center; and Isra University Hospital, Hyderabad. Patients: 483 male and 1583 female patients of 10 to 80 years age surgically treated for gallstones during the years 1999 to 2001. Measurements: The surgical incidence of cholelithiasis for the period January 1999 to December 2001 was studied with the help of a questionnaire designed to know the dietary habits, age, sex and month of presentation of gallstone cases. Of the gallstone patients treated, the surgical incidence in mates was found to be 4.0% [95% CI, 3.6 - 4.5] and in females 14.2% [CI, 14.1 - 15.7], constituting male to female ratio 1:3.3. May and November were the peak months for the presentation of gallstone cases. The age range for male gallstone patients was 10 to 78 years and for females 11 to 80. The peak age group for the occurrence of gallstones in males was 45-59 years and in females 30-44. Females between the ages 30 - 44 years were seen to be more prone to develop gallstones than the females of any other age group. Conclusions: Overall surgical incidence for chotelithiasis was found to be 9.03% [95% CI, 8.6 - 9.4], with females being 3.3 times more prone to develop gallstones than the males