Increasing Gallstone Prevalence and Cholecystectomy Rate in a Large Romanian Town. A Necropsy Study

To study whether the increasing prevalence of gallstone disease noted in a 100-year interval in a large Romanian town has continued in recent years, we analyzed all necropsies (5234) performed during 10 years (1983-1992) in Cluj-Napoca. Gallstone disease (GD) was defined as the presence of stones or the absence of the gallbladder due to cholecystectomy. The results obtained were compared to those of the previous 10-year period (1973-1982). We found a significant increase of GD both in men (6.9% to 9.8%) (P < 0.001) and women (17.1% to 21.7%) (P < 0.001). The ratio of women to men with GD decreased as compared to the first time period (1.4/1 vs 1.8/1). The actual age-standardized prevalence of GD was higher than that calculated for the first time period: 7.6% in men (5.0% in 1973-1982) and 16.9% in women (8.4% in 1973-1982) (P < 0.001). The necropsy cholecystectomy rate rose markedly; 42.1% of the GD men and 43.0% of the GD women had undergone operation during their life. The present study indicates a higher prevalence of GD in the Romanian town than previously found. The actual prevalence is comparable with that of other central European countries, but it is less than that found in England, Scotland, or Sweden.