The Number of Metabolic Abnormalities Associated with the Risk of Gallstones in a Non-diabetic Population

Abstract

AimTo evaluate whether metabolic syndrome is associated with gallstones, independent of hepatitis C infection or chronic kidney disease (CKD), in a non-diabetic population.Materials and MethodsA total of 8,188 Chinese adult participants that underwent a self-motivated health examination were recruited into the final analysis after excluding the subjects who had a history of cholecystectomy, diabetes mellitus, or were currently using antihypertensive or lipid-lowering agents. Gallstones were defined by the presence of strong intraluminal echoes that were gravity-dependent or that attenuated ultrasound transmission.ResultsA total of 447 subjects (5.5%) had gallstones, with 239 (5.1%) men and 208 (6.0%) women. After adjusting for age, gender, obesity, education level, and lifestyle factors, included current smoking, alcohol drinking, regular exercise, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and CKD, there was a positive association between metabolic syndrome and gallstones. Moreover, as compared to subjects without metabolic abnormalities, subjects with one, two, and three or more suffered from a 35, 40, and 59% higher risk of gallstones, respectively.ConclusionsNon-diabetic subjects with metabolic syndrome had a higher risk of gallstones independent of hepatitis C or CKD, and a dose-dependent effect of metabolic abnormalities also exists.

Hepatitis C virus infection and risk of gallstones: A meta-analysis

“…Third, we performed a sensitivity analysis including the study by Lee et al . instead of the study by Tsai et al . The result of this sensitivity analysis was not significantly different from the original analysis with the pooled OR of 1.87 (95% CI, 1.36 to 2.56; I 2 = 89%).…”

“…Twelve studies met our eligibility criteria. However, two studies used the same database . To avoid duplication, we excluded one study.…”

“…We decided to exclude the study by Lee et al . as the study by Tsai et al . was more comprehensive and had a larger number of participants.…”

“…was more comprehensive and had a larger number of participants. Therefore, 11 studies (seven cross‐sectional studies, three case‐control studies, and one cohort study) were included in the data analysis . Figure outlines the literature review and study selection process.…”

“…It is estimated that approximately 180 million patients across the world are infected with this virus . HCV infection could also be an independent risk factor for gallstones as suggested by some epidemiologic studies . Some studies suggested that chronic inflammation of gallbladder epithelium from HCV is accountable for the increased prevalence.…”