Prevalence of gallstone disease in first-degree relatives of patients with cholelithiasis

AIM: To evaluate the influence of familiality on the prevalence of gallstone disease (GD) in Italy. METHODS: Families of 79 subjects with gallstones (cases) and of 79 subjects without gallstones (controls) were investigated for the presence of gallstones by ultrasonography. Index cases and index controls were matched for age, sex, and operative unit. Sixty-three and sixty-two husbands and wives of index cases and index controls, respectively, were also studied. RESULTS: Overall,the prevalence of GD was significantly higher ( χ2=14.52, P