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Cholelithiasis associated with medroxyprogesterone acetate therapy in men.
W J Meyer1, I Wiener, L E Emory
1Dept. of Psychiatry, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston 77550.
Research Communications in Chemical Pathology and Pharmacology
|January 1, 1992
Summary
Medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) use in men may increase the risk of developing symptomatic gallstones. Further research is needed to understand the mechanism behind this association.
Area of Science:
- Endocrinology
- Gastroenterology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) is used for hormone therapy.
- Gallbladder disease is associated with high-progesterone states.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential link between MPA use and the development of symptomatic cholelithiasis (gallstones) in adult men.
- To explore the characteristics of gallstones formed during MPA treatment.
Main Methods:
- Prospective study involving 30 adult men receiving MPA (200-400 mg/week) for at least six months.
- Gallbladder ultrasound examinations were performed off MPA, at six-month intervals during treatment, and six months after discontinuation.
- Analysis of gallstone cholesterol content in patients who developed cholelithiasis.
Main Results:
- Five out of 45 men developed symptomatic cholelithiasis while on MPA therapy.
- Gallstones from two patients showed high cholesterol content, indicative of formation in supersaturated bile.
- Physiologic studies on gallbladder function did not reveal a clear mechanism.
Conclusions:
- MPA treatment may be a causative agent in the development of cholelithiasis.
- Findings support the association between high-progesterone states and increased gallbladder disease incidence.
- Further investigation is required to elucidate the precise mechanism of MPA-induced cholelithiasis.