Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 1, 2026

Determining Bile Duct Density in the Mouse Liver
Published on: April 30, 2019
Body mass index and biliary tract disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies
Myungsook Park1, Da Young Song2, Youjin Je3
1Department of Food and Nutrition, Sookmyung Women's University, Seoul 140-742, Republic of Korea.
Objective:
To evaluate the association between body mass index (BMI, kg/m(2)) and incidence of biliary tract disease.
Methods:
We performed a systematic review and a meta-analysis of prospective studies by searching the database of PubMed and EMBASE published up to December 31, 2013. Outcome of interest was disease of biliary tract system (gallbladder, extrahepatic bile duct and Ampullar of Vater). We used a random-effects model to combine the study-specific relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) from 22 prospective studies. We examined whether BMI was associated with a higher risk of biliary tract disease in a combined analysis.
Results:
The positive association was stronger for non-cancer biliary tract disease than biliary tract cancer; combined RRs (95% CIs) comparing the top with bottom categories were 1.40 (1.15-1.65) for biliary tract cancer and 2.75 (2.35-3.15) for non-cancer biliary tract disease (P for difference<0.001). For non-cancer biliary tract disease, combined RRs (95% CIs) comparing the top with bottom categories were 3.21 (2.48-3.93) for women and 2.01 (1.66-2.37) for men (P for difference=0.04).
Conclusion:
Obesity is associated with higher risks of biliary tract cancer and, to a greater extent, non-cancer biliary tract disease.
Related Concept Videos
Cholecystitis
Diseases of the Liver and Gallbladder
Cirrhosis is characterized by the scarring of hepatic lobules in the liver, which are replaced by fibrous tissue, affecting the liver's normal functioning. NAFLD, on the other hand, is caused by an excessive build-up of fat in the liver, not...
Chronic Bowel Disorders: Introduction
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder affecting the gastrointestinal tract. The distinctive feature is recurrent abdominal pain associated with altered bowel movements, manifesting as constipation, diarrhea, or fluctuating between both. The...
Obesity
Effect of Hepatic Disease on Pharmacokinetics: Pathophysiologic Assessment and Liver Function Test
Hepatic Drug Excretion: Influencing Factors

