Relation between the risk of gallstone pancreatitis and characteristics of gallstone in Korea

Pancreatitis is a serious complication of patients with gallstones. However, risk factors of gallstone pancreatitis were unpredictable until recently. In Korea, characteristics of gallstones are different from Western countries. The present study was designed to determine differences in the risk of gallstone pancreatitis and characteristics of gallstones in Korean patients.

Clinical data were collected on patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The physical characteristics of gallstones recovered at surgery were also recorded. Patients with gallstone pancreatitis were compared with patients who had uncomplicated biliary pain.

In a logistic regression model, acute gallstone pancreatitis was associated with a stone diameter of less than 5 mm (odds ratio: 3.3695; P = 0.0352) and with stone number of more than 20 (odds ratio: 3.8686; P = 0.0361). No other variable, including pigment stone, age, and sex, remained statistically significant in the adjusted analysis (P > 0.05).

Patients with at least 1 gallstone smaller than 5 mm in diameter and stone number more than 20 each have a more than 3-fold increased risk of presenting with acute gallstone pancreatitis. The composition of gallstones, especially pigment stones, was not an important risk factor in gallstone pancreatitis in Korean patients with stones having a different composition than those from Western countries.