The prevalence and risk factors of gallstones in Korean patients with liver cirrhosis.

Abstract

The aims of this study were to evaluate the frequency of gallstones and the related risk factors in patients with liver cirrhosis. Patients (n=1,333) with liver cirrhosis who were diagnosed at Yeungnam University Hospital between January 2006 and December 2008 were analyzed retrospectively. Healthy people (n=16,922) who underwent an examination at the health promotion center were enrolled as a control group. We analyzed the clinical and laboratory findings between the cirrhotic patients with and without gallstones. Liver cirrhosis was an independent risk factor for gallstone formation (OR: 2.017; p=0.00). Diabetes and hypertriglyceridemia increased the risk for gallstones by 2.2-fold and 1.9-fold in cirrhotic patents, respectively. The severity of the liver cirrhosis according to the Child-Pugh class carried a significantly greater risk of gallstone formation. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that diabetes, hypertriglyceridemia, and Child-Pugh class C were significantly related to the risk of gallstone formation in patients with liver cirrhosis. The prevalence of gallstones is significantly higher in patients with liver cirrhosis, and the related risk factors are diabetes, hypertriglyceridemia and severity of liver cirrhosis.