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Inverse association between plasma cholesterol and gallstone disease
M X Duque1, S Morán, J Salmerón-Castro
1Centro de Investigación en Salud Poblacional, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico.
Background:
The association between gallstone disease (gallstones or cholecystectomy) and plasma lipids was evaluated in 2,089 subjects who attended a private health care facility in Mexico City from August 1991 to August 1992.
Methods:
All participants provided data on their sociodemographic status, non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus diagnoses, alcohol consumption, and smoking habits; women also gave data regarding their obstetric-gynecologic histories. Ultrasounds of the liver and biliary tract were performed. Cholesterol levels, high-density lipoproteins cholesterol, and triglyceride plasma concentration were determined.
Results:
This study shows a strong inverse association between gallstone disease and plasma cholesterol concentration, with OR = 0.61 (95% CI = 0.42-0.89) in the category of 181-239 mg/dL, and OR = 0.49 (95% CI = 0.32-0.77) in the group of 240 mg/dL or more, when compared to 180 mg/dL or less, after adjusting for the following risk factors: gender, age, and body mass index.
Conclusions:
These results suggest an increment in the catabolic pool of cholesterol, reflected in lower levels of plasma cholesterol in subjects with gallstone disease.