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Epidemiology and Pathogenesis of Gallstones

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The Management of Gallstone Disease

Abstract

The prevalence of cholelithiasis or gallstones is highly variable throughout the world with a much higher prevalence well published in several ethnicities. Gallstones are common in the adult population affecting over 10–15% of the Caucasian adult population in developed countries [1–3]. However in certain ethnicities, such as North American Indians including Pima Indians, Chippewa Indians, Canadian Micmac Indians and other American Indian tribes in Arizona/Oklahoma/Dakotas, prevalence can be as high as 60–70% of the population [4, 5]. See Fig. 3.1.

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Correspondence to Guy D. Eslick Dr.P.H.,Ph.D.,F.A.C.E.,F.F.P.H. .

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Cao, A.M., Eslick, G.D. (2018). Epidemiology and Pathogenesis of Gallstones. In: Cox, M., Eslick, G., Padbury, R. (eds) The Management of Gallstone Disease. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63884-3_3

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