Gallstones and plasma lipids in a Danish population

A cross-sectional study of gallstone disease, ascertained by ultrasonography, comprised 4581 men and women of Danish origin, aged 30, 40, 50, and 60 years, of whom 3608 (79%) attended the investigation. The prevalence was assessed in relation to plasma concentrations of total cholesterol, high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride. In the univariate analysis gallstone disease was significantly associated with high triglyceride and low high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol. No significant association among gallstones and total cholesterol and low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol was seen. In multivariate analyses triglyceride lost its significant association with gallstone disease, whereas total cholesterol became negatively associated with gallstones. This was seen for both the high-density-lipoprotein and the low-density-lipoprotein fraction of cholesterol. The difficulties in analysing present plasma lipid status with gallstone prevalence must be stressed. Looking only at small gallstones, which could represent newly formed stones, a change from a negative to a positive association between gallstone and both low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol and total cholesterol was seen.