The relation between gallstone disease and cardiovascular disease

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Cardiology
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Gallstone disease (GD) is prevalent and shares risk factors with cardiovascular disease (CVD).
• The association between GD and CVD risk remains debated in scientific literature.
• CVD represents a major cause of mortality globally.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a meta-analysis of cohort studies.
• To assess the association between gallstone disease and cardiovascular disease events.
• To quantify the risk of CVD in patients with a history of GD.

Main Methods:

• Meta-analysis of eight cohort studies published between 1980 and 2017.
• Inclusion of nearly one million participants.
• Random-effects model used to calculate pooled relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).

Main Results:

• A pooled RR of 1.23 (95% CI: 1.17-1.30) for fatal and nonfatal CVD events was associated with GD.
• Female GD patients showed a pooled RR of 1.24 (95% CI: 1.16-1.32) for CVD events.
• Male GD patients had a pooled RR of 1.18 (95% CI: 1.06-1.31) for CVD events, indicating a higher risk in women.

Conclusions:

• Gallstone disease is associated with a substantially increased risk of fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular events.
• Both male and female patients with GD face an elevated risk of CVD.
• Women with GD exhibit a higher risk of CVD compared to men, warranting further investigation.