Shimla, July 5 -- The prevalence of gallstone disease in the Spiti Valley-a tribal region of Himachal Pradesh situated between 3,000 and over 4,000 metres above sea level-has surpassed rates found in the rural Ganga basin and the Kashmir Valley, which sits at a lower average elevation of 1,580 to 1,850 metres. A recent study found that 21.3% of the examined population in the Spiti Valley suffers from the condition. The findings mean that more than one in five adults in Spiti had gallstones. Conducted between 2024 and 2026, the project was a collaborative effort between doctors from the department of surgery at Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (IGMC), Shimla, and the Himachal Pradesh Council for Science, Technology and Environment (HIMCOSTE). The study, Prevalence and Factors of Gallstone Disease in the High-Altitude Tribal Population of Spiti Valley, Northern India: A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study, was published in Cureus, an international, peer-reviewed, PubMed-central indexed medical journal last month. According to the researchers, the primary factors driving the surge in gallstone cases among the valley's residents include harsh environmental conditions, low water intake, and high meat consumption. The study warned that if left untreated, the condition carries a latent risk of progressing to gallbladder cancer. The 21.3% prevalence rate is starkly higher than both global and national benchmarks. A recent global estimate placed general gallstone prevalence at approximately 6%, while previous Indian community-based studies reported rates of 4.15% in the rural Gangetic basin and 6.12% in Kashmir. The study screened 450 residents aged 30 to 70 years across different elevations. Participants underwent ultrasound examinations while fasting. Interestingly, the highest prevalence was observed in the moderate-altitude zone (3,501 to 4,000 metres), which includes Kaza and Dhankar, where 24.7% of the sample group tested positive. In contrast, the low-altitude group at Tabo saw a 24% prevalence, while the highest-altitude villages of Hikkim and Komic recorded 15.3%. However, the doctor said that altitude was not independently associated with the disease "To ensure the early detection of gallstones in the sub-Himalayan and high-Himalayan regions, it is crucial to strengthen ultrasound facilities, referral systems, and hepato-biliary surgical services," said Dr Vipan Kumar, assistant professor in the surgical gastroenterology department of surgery at IGMC, Shimla. Dr Kumar said this is the first population-based study on gallstones in Himachal. To achieve accurate results, medical teams transported portable ultrasound machines to inaccessible, snow-bound areas to conduct on-the-spot field screenings....