Korean J Intern Med.  2011 Sep;26(3):285-293. 10.3904/kjim.2011.26.3.285.

Insulin Resistance as a Risk Factor for Gallbladder Stone Formation in Korean Postmenopausal Women

• Kim SS
• Lee JG
• Kim DW
• Kim BH
• Jeon YK
• Kim MR
• Huh JE
• Mok JY
• Kim SJ
• Kim YK
• Kim IJ

• KMID: 1022168
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3904/kjim.2011.26.3.285

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS
The objective of this study was to determine whether insulin resistance is associated with gallbladder stone formation in Korean women based on menopausal status.
METHODS
The study included 4,125 consecutive Korean subjects (30-79 years of age). Subjects who had a medical history of diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, other cardiovascular disorders, or hormone replacement therapy were excluded. The women were subdivided into two groups according to their menopausal status.
RESULTS
Analysis of premenopausal women showed no significant differences in the homeostasis model of assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) index between the two groups in terms of gallstone disease. The associations between the occurrence of gallbladder stones and age, obesity, abdominal obesity, hyperinsulinemia, and high HOMA-IR index were statistically significant in the analysis with postmenopausal women. In a multiple logistic regression analysis, low high density lipoprotein-cholesterol was an independent predictor of gallbladder stone formation in premenopausal women. However, the multiple logistic regression analysis also showed that age and HOMA-IR were significantly associated with gallbladder stone formation in postmenopausal women. In an additional analysis stratified by obesity, insulin resistance was a significant risk factor for gallbladder stone formation only in the abdominally obese premenopausal group.
CONCLUSIONS
Insulin resistance may be associated with gallbladder stone formation in Korean postmenopausal women with abdominal obesity.

Keyword

Gallstones; Insulin resistance; Metabolic syndrome; Postmenopause

MeSH Terms

Adult
Age Factors
Aged
Asian Continental Ancestry Group/*statistics & numerical data
Chi-Square Distribution
Female
Gallstones/*ethnology/physiopathology/ultrasonography
Humans
Insulin Resistance/*ethnology
Logistic Models
Middle Aged
Obesity, Abdominal/ethnology
Odds Ratio
Postmenopause/*ethnology
Questionnaires
Republic of Korea/epidemiology
Risk Assessment
Risk Factors