Risk factors for the clinical course of cholecystitis in patients who undergo cholecystectomy

The aims of this study were to evaluate risk factors for acute cholecystitis that have been previously acknowledged and to evaluate several co-morbidities, such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular accident and end-stage renal disease for which the prevalence rate has increased in the elderly.

We retrospectively reviewed 611 patients who underwent laparoscopic or open cholecystectomy for cholecystitis between January 2005 and January 2010. The relationships between the clinical outcomes and the clinico-demographic factors were analyzed by univariate and multivariate analyses.

The diagnoses of the 611 patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy were acute cholecystitis (n=258; 42.2%) and chronic cholecystitis (n=353; 57.8%). Male gender (p<0.000), age >50 (p<0.000), fever (p<0.000), leukocytosis (p<0.000), AST elevation (p=0.009), alkaline phosphatase elevation (p<0.000) and an elevation of total bilirubin (p<0.000) were identified as risk factors for acute cholecystitis. The presence of diabetes mellitus (p=0.002) and hypertension (p=0.019) may be risk factors for acute cholecystitis.

For patients with risk factors for acute cholecystitis, early management, that is, early checkup and diagnosis following early cholecystectomy, is recommended before the disease progresses to an acute form of cholecystitis.