Solan registers threefold increase in gallstone cases

Ambika Sharma

Solan, July 10

In the last decade, a threefold increase has been registered in the cases of gallstones in Solan and its surrounding areas. Dr Sanjay Aggarwal, a laparoscopy surgeon from Solan, shared his concern over the rising cases of this disease with The Tribune.

“As against 200 to 250 surgeries related to gallstones which I did in a year about a decade ago, an astronomical rise up to 780 surgeries was registered last year,” said Dr Aggarwal.

He added that, “A famous dictum in surgical practice — the 4F (Fatty fertile female of forty) — is accused for being the primary cause of gall bladder stones, has increasingly shown failure in actual.”

“It was said that a fertile 40-year-old female, who is also fatty, could usually become a victim of the disease. It seems that these predictive factors hold less true now,” added Dr Aggarwal.

The increasing incidence of gall bladder stones in Himachal Pradesh is an enigma. “In Solan district, approximately 8-10 gallstone surgeries are done in various hospitals daily. It is a very high incidence and the situation is similar across the state,” said Dr Aggarwal.

“Around two decades ago, it used to be lesser prevalent, but today a child aged 5 and a man aged 90 can also be diagnosed with gallstones,” said the laparoscopic surgeon.

The changes in eating habits, diet and lifestyle, increased body mass index, less fluid intake, smoking and alcohol consumption, increased use of oral contraceptives are some of the factors which led to the increase in gallstone cases.

The key symptoms of gallstones include acute abdominal pain, dyspepsia, nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite. One may end up having jaundice, continuous pain and also a carcinoma after years with stones.

The main cause of stones in the gall bladder is an imbalance in the composition of bile, which is a substance required for fat digestion. The increase of cholesterol in the bile and precipitation of the same leads to gallstone formation.

In Himachal Pradesh, the serene hilly terrain and healthy eating habits had long been the reason for lesser cases, but increasing consumption of junk food and lifestyle changes have changed the scenario.

Neglected cases or a delay in treatment causes complications like pus formation and slippage of stones into the ducts of the liver.

“Medical treatment involves use of drugs like ursodeoxycholic acid. It helps in dissolving stones after reducing the cholesterol content,” the surgeon said.

“We need to switch to a natural lifestyle which we followed in earlier times to prevent such diseases,” said Dr Aggarwal.

Primary causes

• The main cause of stones in the gall bladder is an imbalance in the composition of bile, which is a substance required for fat digestion. The increase of cholesterol in the bile and precipitation of the same leads to gallstone formation
• In Himachal Pradesh, the serene hilly terrain and healthy eating habits had long been the reason for lesser cases, but increasing consumption of junk food and lifestyle changes have changed the scenario
• The changes in eating habits, diet and lifestyle, increased body mass index, less fluid intake, increased use of oral contraceptives are some of the factors which led to the increase in gallstone cases