title: Increasing frequency of gall bladder operations in the Bristol clinical area.
abstract: In the Bristol clinical area the frequency of gall bladder operations rose by a factor of 3.4 between 1940 and 1970, the greatest increase occurring in the 1950s. The increase took place in all age groups, but was greatest in the under-30s and in men. Numerous factors affect the chance of a patient with gall stones being operated on, but a change of this magnitude suggests there has been a substantial rise in the incidence of gall stones since the second world war. This belief is supported by data from the nationwide Hospital In-patient Enquiry.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002763:Cholecystectomy; D002764:Cholecystitis / Q000601:surgery; D002769:Cholelithiasis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery; D002779:Cholestasis / Q000601:surgery; D004415:Dyspepsia / Q000601:surgery; D004630:Emergencies; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000601:surgery; D012737:Sex Factors