Gallstones Law & Legal Definition
Gallstones are a common health problem, mosrt commonly found in women, Native Americans, and people over the age of 40. They are formed within the gallbladder, an organ that stores bile excreted from the liver. Bile is a solution of water, salts, lecithin, cholesterol, and other substances. If the concentration of these components changes, they may precipitate from solution and form gallstones.
Gallstones may be tiny granules or as large as an inch in diameter, depending on how much how long they have been forming. Gallstones often produce no symptoms and are usually discovered incidentally by a routine x-ray, surgery, or autopsy.
Some risk factors include ethnic and hereditary factors, obesity, diabetes, liver cirrhosis, long-term intravenous nutrition, and certain operations for peptic ulcers.
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