Gallstones are common and associated with substantial health and economic burden. We aimed to comprehensively evaluate the prevalence and incidence of gallstones in the 21st century. We systematically searched PubMed and Embase to identify studies reporting the prevalence and/or incidence of gallstones between January 1, 2000, and November 18, 2023. Pooled prevalence and incidence were calculated using DerSimonian and Laird’s random-effects model. We performed subgroup analyses and meta-regression based on age, sex, geographic location, population setting, and modality of detection to examine sources of heterogeneity. Based on 115 studies with 32,610,568 participants, the pooled prevalence of gallstones was 6.1% (95% CI, 5.6–6.5). Prevalence was higher in females vs males (7.6% vs 5.4%), in South America vs Asia (11.2% vs 5.1%), in upper-middle-income countries vs high-income countries (8.9% vs 4.0%), and with advancing age. On sensitivity analysis of population-based studies, the prevalence of gallstones was 5.5% (95% CI, 4.1–7.4; n = 44 studies), and when limiting subgroup analysis to imaging-based detection modalities, the prevalence was 6.7% (95% CI, 6.1–7.3; n = 101 studies). Prevalence has been stable over the past 20 years. Based on 12 studies, the incidence of gallstones was 0.47 per 100 person-years (95% CI, 0.37–0.51), without differences between males and females, and with increasing incidence in more recent studies. Globally, 6% of the population have gallstones, with higher rates in females and in South America. The incidence of gallstones may be increasing. Our findings call for prioritizing research on the prevention of gallstones.

中文翻译：

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21 世纪胆结石的全球流行病学：系统回顾和荟萃分析

胆结石很常见，并且会带来巨大的健康和经济负担。我们的目的是全面评估 21 世纪胆结石的患病率和发病率。我们系统地检索了 PubMed 和 Embase，以确定报告 2000 年 1 月 1 日至 2023 年 11 月 18 日期间胆结石患病率和/或发病率的研究。使用 DerSimonian 和 Laird 的随机效应模型计算汇总患病率和发病率。我们根据年龄、性别、地理位置、人口环境和检测方式进行了亚组分析和元回归，以检查异质性的来源。根据涉及 32,610,568 名参与者的 115 项研究，胆结石的汇总患病率为 6.1%（95% CI，5.6-6.5）。女性患病率高于男性（7.6% vs 5.4%），南美洲患病率高于亚洲（11.2% vs 5.1%），中高收入国家患病率高于高收入国家（8.9% vs 4.0%），年龄的增长。在基于人群的研究的敏感性分析中，胆结石的患病率为 5.5%（95% CI，4.1–7.4；n = 44 项研究），当将亚组分析限制为基于成像的检测方式时，患病率为 6.7%（95 % CI，6.1–7.3；n = 101 项研究）。过去 20 年来患病率一直稳定。基于 12 项研究，胆结石的发病率为每 100 人年 0.47 例（95% CI，0.37-0.51），男性和女性之间没有差异，并且在最近的研究中发病率不断增加。全球范围内，6% 的人口患有胆结石，其中女性和南美洲的患病率更高。胆结石的发病率可能会增加。我们的研究结果呼吁优先研究预防胆结石。