Korean J Med.  2007 May;72(5):480-490.

Prevalence and risk factors of gallstones in a general health screened population

• Chung YJ
• Park YD
• Lee HC
• Cho HJ
• Park KS
• Seo EH
• Jeon SW
• Cho CM
• Tak WY
• Kweon YO
• Kim SK
• Choi YH
• Kim JS
• Lee HJ
• Chung JM

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Gallstone is the most common disease of the biliary system. Most cases of gallstone are asymptomatic and we incidentally found gallstones during a community health survey. Our study was designed to determine the prevalence and risk factors for gallstone in a population who underwent health screening.
METHODS
We enrolled a total of 36,314 persons who visited the health promotion center in Kyungpook National University Hospital in Korea from 1998 to 2004. They had their gallbladder or biliary system examined with using ultrasonography. The body mass index and biochemical parameters from liver function tests, the lipid profiles and the fasting blood sugar were all measured. All the subjects were divided into several groups and the particular prevalence for gallstone disease for each group was calculated. Chi-square tests and logistic regression analysis assessed the risk factors for gallstone disease.
RESULTS
Among 36,314 persons, (19,345 males (53.3%) and 16,969 females (46.7%)), gallstone was found in 735 persons (2.0%). On univariate analysis, the risk factors for gallstone disease were age, body mass index, fasting blood sugar, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triglyceride and serum aspartate aminotransferase. On multivariate logistic regression analysis, the the risk factors were high body mass index, older age and high fasting blood sugar.
CONCLUSIONS
The risk factors seem to show a common pathogenesis for gallstone disease. Although the relation between gallstone disease and metabolic syndrome has not been established, it appears to be associated with metabolic syndrome, but further study on a general population is required.

Keyword

Gallstone; Prevalence; Risk factor; Metabolic syndrome

MeSH Terms

Aspartate Aminotransferases
Biliary Tract
Blood Glucose
Body Mass Index
Cholesterol
Fasting
Female
Gallbladder
Gallstones*
Gyeongsangbuk-do
Health Promotion
Health Surveys
Humans
Korea
Liver Function Tests
Logistic Models
Male
Mass Screening
Prevalence*
Risk Factors*
Triglycerides
Ultrasonography
Aspartate Aminotransferases
Blood Glucose
Cholesterol