A 48-year-old member asked:
my mom and all my sisters have had their gallbladders taken out because of gall stones, are gall stones hereditary?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
Dr. Myron Arlen answered
Surgical Oncology 64 years experience
Occassionally: Gallstones are formed in the liver and gallbladder. There are two types of gallstones: pigment stones and cholesterol stones. For the majority, cholesterol stones are present. The cause for gallstones appears to be from diet but also an interaction between hereditary causes and the diet. Stones are formed when the bile that is produced by the liver becomes enriched with fatty substances. In patients with gallstones, the gallbladder wall is abnormal due to previous episodes of inflammation and removal of the stones with the GB is important.
3666 viewsAnswered >2 years ago
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A 42-year-old member asked:
What do you suggest if my mom and now all my sisters have had their gallbladders taken out because of gall stones, is it hereditary ?
1 doctor answer • 4 doctors weighed in
Dr. Gerald Mandell answered
Nuclear Medicine 52 years experience
Possibly: Data suggest that genetic factors are responsible for at least 30% of symptomatic gallstone disease. However, the true role of heredity in gallstone pathogenesis is probably higher because data based on symptomatic gallbladder disease underestimates the true prevalence in the population.
3846 viewsReviewed >2 years ago
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Last updated Oct 5, 2014
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