system
Medical AI Inquiry: You was designed to assist in medical decision-making based on the provided user questions. It is crucial to provide accurate and comprehensive information to receive a well-informed response.  Labels: OBJECTIVE, METHODS, METHODS, METHODS, METHODS, RESULTS. Meshes: Abdominal Pain, Adult, Aged, Cholelithiasis, Female, Gases, Gastrointestinal Diseases, Humans, Intestines, Logistic Models, Male, Middle Aged, Nausea, Spinal Cord Injuries.
user
Are atypical gastrointestinal symptoms associated with gallstones in patients with spinal cord injury? Context: To determine if nonspecific gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms justify cholecystectomy in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). The frequency of GI symptoms was determined in a sample of patients with SCI in whom the presence or absence of gallstones had been previously determined by screening ultrasonography or a known history of cholecystectomy. The prevalence of various symptoms in patients with and without gallstones was compared. The Spinal Cord Injury Unit of the Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, which provides rehabilitation and longitudinal primary care for SCI veterans. Two hundred ninety-four patients who had undergone either right upper quadrant ultrasonography or cholecystectomy in the past, and who completed a questionnaire concerning GI symptoms. Bivariate logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) to determine the strength of associations between the presence of each symptom and the presence of gallstones. Pain in the right upper quadrant or epigastrium that occurred after meals or at night was significantly associated with gallstones (OR: 3.5; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02-11.73). Abdominal pain in other locations and nonspecific symptoms such as bloating and nausea, were not predictive of the presence of gallstones.
assistant
Nonspecific symptoms in patients with SCI are not associated with gallstones and do not justify cholecystectomy in patients with otherwise asymptomatic gallstones. Final Decision: no