People might attribute midnight bouts of chest pain or waves of nausea to food poisoning, stress or a stubborn case of indigestion, but Rutgers Health researchers suggest that knowing your family’s surgical past could pinpoint another cause: gallstone disease. Their study, published in the Journal of Surgical Research, found that patients who were aware of family members’ past gallbladder surgery were more likely to seek help early – and were less likely to end up in the operating room for high-risk, emergency gallbladder removal.
Researchers interviewed 24 patients who underwent either emergency or elective gallbladder removal surgery about their knowledge of gallstone disease symptoms before they sought medical care, their knowledge of family history of gallstone disease and the role that family, friends and coworkers played in their seeking care.
People might attribute midnight bouts of chest pain or waves of nausea to food poisoning, stress or a stubborn case of indigestion, but Rutgers Health researchers suggest that knowing your family’s surgical past could pinpoint another cause: gallstone disease. Their study, published in the Journal of Surgical Research, found that patients who were aware of family members’ past gallbladder surgery were more likely to seek help early – and were less likely to end up in the operating room for high-risk, emergency gallbladder removal.
Researchers interviewed 24 patients who underwent either emergency or elective gallbladder removal surgery about their knowledge of gallstone disease symptoms before they sought medical care, their knowledge of family history of gallstone disease and the role that family, friends and coworkers played in their seeking care. To read the full story.