Factors associated with clinical gallbladder disease in a Canadian Indian population

Among the Cree-Ojibwa Indians in the subarctic boreal forest of northern Manitoba and Ontario, a high prevalence of clinical gallbladder disease (18.5% among women aged 20-64) was observed. Of a variety of sociodemographic, physiological, anthropometric, and lifestyle factors, increased age and serum triglycerides, and reduced total cholesterol were found to be independent associated factors on multivariate analysis whereas diabetic status, obesity, and a central fat distribution were not. Previous studies in this population have indicated that the Indians also suffer from a high burden of obesity, diabetes, and gallbladder cancer, thus lending support to the hypothesis that genetic predisposition to a constellation of metabolic disorders is perhaps universal among New World aboriginal peoples.