THE PREVALENCE OF ASYMPTOMATIC GALLBLADDER STONES IN PATIENTS WITH DIABETES-MELLITUS

Objectives: To study the prevalence of asymptomatic gallstones in pati ents with diabetes mellitus (DM) and to determine the risk factors for the occurrence of asymptomatic gallstones among diabetics. Methods: I n a cross-sectional study design, 511 patients (294 with DM and 217 wi thout DM) were ultrasonically screened for the presence or absence of asymptomatic gallbladder stones and information on risk factors was ob tained. Results: The prevalence of asymptomatic gallstones among patie nts with diabetes mellitus was 11.9% compared to 3.2% among non-diabet ics (p<0.001). Among diabetics increasing age and female gender were f ound to be risk factors for developing gallbladder stones. Conclusions : Diabetes mellitus per se is a risk factor for the development of gal lbladder stones in Saudi patients.