Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012 Jun;14(6):373-81.
doi: 10.1111/j.1477-2574.2012.00457.x. Epub 2012 Mar 28.

Prevalences of and risk factors for biliary stones and gallbladder polyps in a large Chinese population

Affiliations

Prevalences of and risk factors for biliary stones and gallbladder polyps in a large Chinese population

Qing Xu et al. HPB (Oxford). 2012 Jun.

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to identify the prevalences of and risk factors associated with the development of gallbladder stones and polyps in a large Chinese population.

Methods: Prevalences of and risk factors for biliary stones and gallbladder polyps were retrospectively investigated among subjects who underwent a general check-up at the Health Screening Centres of Peking Union Medical College Hospital and Beijing Charity Hospital between January 2007 and June 2010.

Results: A total of 60,064 people were enrolled in the study. Overall prevalences of biliary stones and gallbladder polyps were 4.2% (n= 2527) and 6.9% (n= 4119), respectively. Risk factors associated with increased odds ratios (ORs) for the development of biliary stones were female gender (OR = 1.51), age ≥ 50 years (OR = 2.09), history of hypertension (OR = 1.37), thickened gallbladder wall (cholecystitis) (OR = 1.98), fasting blood glucose ≥ 6.10 mmol/l (OR = 1.27), body mass index ≥ 25 kg/m(2) (OR = 1.25), systolic blood pressure ≥ 140 mmHg (OR = 1.31) and diastolic blood pressure ≥ 90 mmHg (OR = 1.44). Factors associated with gallbladder polyps were female gender (OR = 0.66), thickened gallbladder wall (OR = 2.09), negativity for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and positivity for hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc) (OR = 2.61), and positivity for both HBsAg and anti-HBc (OR = 3.21).

Conclusions: Prevalences of biliary stones and gallbladder polyps among Chinese people are similar to those reported for other populations. Biliary stones appear to be associated with female gender, age, obesity, blood glucose, blood pressure and cholecystitis. Male gender, hepatitis B virus infection and cholecystitis were strong risk factors for the formation of gallbladder polyps.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Prevalences of gallbladder diseases in different age groups in Chinese subjects. Prevalences of biliary stones and diseased cystic wall increased with age, whereas gallbladder polyps were more common in middle age, peaking in subjects aged 41–50 years. GB polyps, gallbladder polyps; B stones, biliary stones; TGW, thickened gallbladder wall
Figure 2
Figure 2
Prevalences of gallstones stratified by gender in different age groups in Chinese subjects. Prevalences of biliary stones were higher in female than in male subjects in all age groups
Figure 3
Figure 3
Prevalences of gallbladder polyps stratified by gender in different age groups in Chinese subjects. Prevalences of polyps were higher in male than in female subjects in all age groups (except in subjects aged >70 years)
Figure 4
Figure 4
Prevalences of a thickened gallbladder wall stratified by gender in different age groups in Chinese subjects. Prevalences of a diseased cystic wall were higher in male than in female subjects in all age groups

References

    1. Andreotti G, Chen J, Gao YT, Rashid A, Chang SC, Shen MC, et al. Serum lipid levels and the risk of biliary tract cancers and biliary stones: a population-based study in China. Int J Cancer. 2008;122:2322–2329. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Chen CH, Huang MH, Yang JC, Nien CK, Etheredge GD, Yang CC, et al. Prevalence and risk factors of gallstone disease in an adult population of Taiwan: an epidemiological survey. J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2006;21:1737–1743. - PubMed
    1. Hsing AW, Bai Y, Andreotti G, Rashid A, Deng J, Chen J, et al. Family history of gallstones and the risk of biliary tract cancer and gallstones: a population-based study in Shanghai, China. Int J Cancer. 2007;121:832–838. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lin WR, Lin DY, Tai DI, Hsieh SY, Lin CY, Sheen IS, et al. Prevalence of and risk factors for gallbladder polyps detected by ultrasonography among healthy Chinese: analysis of 34 669 cases. J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2008;23:965–969. - PubMed
    1. Chen CY, Lu CL, Chang FY, Lee SD. Risk factors for gallbladder polyps in the Chinese population. Am J Gastroenterol. 1997;92:2066–2068. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms