Cholesterol cholelithiasis in adolescent females: its connection with obestiy, parity, and oral contraceptive use--a retrospective study of 31 cases.

Thirty-one adolescent females, aged 14 to 20 years, underwent cholecystectomy for pathologically documented cholesterol gallstones. A retrospective study, using the Mantel-Haenzel method of statistical analysis, showed a strong association between cholesterol cholelithiasis and obesity and parity. The patients with gallstones had a higher rate of oral contraceptive use, which just failed to attain statistical significance. These findings indicate that adolescent cholelithiasis is largely preventable. Dietary obesity can be controlled by balanced diets and physical exercise. Early pregnancy should be discourgaed, espeically if there is a strong family history of cholelithiasis and if weight control is unsuccessful. Oral contraceptives should be used cautiously in the presence of other predisposing factors.