2796 Possible Predictors of Gallbladder Stasis: Why Not Vitamin D?

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Gallbladder (GB) stasis is highly prevalent in the general population, especially amongst females. It is also one of the most common gastrointestinal causes of hospital admission. A limited number of studies have shown no association between vitamin D levels and gallstone disease in the general population, despite an established association between vitamin D deficiency among pregnant females and GB stasis among pregnant females. METHODS: We used the Framingham Heart Study database and performed descriptive and multivariate tests to identify possible confounders not limited to vitamin D levels that are associated with GB stasis. Unadjusted tests were based on t-test and chi-square test when appropriate. Logistic regression analyses were performed with possible confounders of GB stasis. In order to understand the high prevalence of GB among females, both univariate and multivariate tests were performed on the sub-sample of females. RESULTS: Gender was predictive of GB stasis, with females being more likely to have GB stasis (P < 0.0001). Age (P < 0.0001) and body mass index (P < 0.0001) were associated with GB stasis in the entire study population. In the sub-sample of females only, high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) showed a significant association to GB stasis with a negative estimate of the coefficient of interest, signifying that higher levels of HDL were protective against GB stasis among females. However, there was no significant difference in GB stasis based on Vitamin D levels (P = 0.3213). CONCLUSION: Vitamin D levels are not significantly associated with GB stasis in the general population. However, a closed study of age of onset of GB stasis, sex differences in GB stasis, effect of BMI, and the effect of HDL to GB stasis require much more attention to the understanding of the disease.