Chest Pain, Family History Influence Care-Seeking in Gallstone Disease

FRIDAY, Dec. 19, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Chest pain and family history may influence care-seeking behavior in symptomatic gallstone disease (sGD), according to a study published in the November issue of the Journal of Surgical Research.

Noah Z. Freundlich, from Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Piscataway, New Jersey, and colleagues conducted semistructured interviews with patients aged older than 18 years who underwent emergency or nonemergency cholecystectomy for sGD. Twenty-four patient interviews were conducted: 10 and 14 were patients who underwent emergency and nonemergency cholecystectomy, respectively.

The emergency and nonemergency patient samples did not differ in terms of age, sex, race, ethnicity, interview language, or insurance status. The researchers identified three key themes in the interviews: physical symptoms of gallstone disease; patient interpretation of these symptoms; and utilization of interpersonal social networks for discussion of gallstone diseases. Patients reported that gallstone-related chest pain, which was interpreted by some as cardiac illness, influenced timely care-seeking. Patients with knowledge of family history of gallstone disease before diagnosis reported making connections between their symptoms and family history, recognizing their need to seek care.

“We uncover a relationship between patients” knowledge of their family history of gallstone disease and their symptom interpretation and care-seeking behaviors that led to removal of their gallbladder,” the authors write. “Given the well-demonstrated heritability and high prevalence of gallstone disease, this relationship has the potential to play a role in the diagnosis and treatment of the 1 million patients who undergo CCY [cholecystectomy] in the U.S. annually.”

One author disclosed ties to the biotechnology industry.

Abstract/Full Text