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Cirrhosis of the liver

A risk factor for development of cholelithiasis in males

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Abstract

An ultrasonographic study about the prevalence of cholelithiasis was performed in 410 cirrhotic patients and in 414 controls matched for age and sex. Gallstone disease was found more often in cirrhotic patients (31.9%) than in controls (20.7%) (P<0.001. The female-to-male ratio of gallstones prevalence in cirrhotic patients approached to 1∶1. Gallstone disease in cirrhotic patients vs controls was significantly higher (30.2% vs 16.5%) (P<0.001 in males only. No difference was found, for gallstone disease prevalence in cirrhosis of different etiology. The prevalence of cholelithiasis increased from Child's A to Child's C with a significant trend P<0.001; this difference was significant in males (12.3% vs 40.5%) P<0.001) but not in females. This study shows that cirrhosis represents a risk factor for the development of cholelithiasis in males. We suggest that high levels of estrogens could play a role in these patients, by an impairment of gallbladder emptying similar to that observed in pregnant women.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. I Divisione di Medicina, Ospedale di Piacenza, via Taverna 49, 29100, Piacenza, Italy

    Fabio Fornari MD, Giuseppe Civardi MD, Elisabetta Buscarini MD, Luigi Cavanna MD, Davide Imberti MD, Sandro Rossi MD, Giorgio Sbolli MD, Michele Di Stasi MD & Luigi Buscarini MD

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  1. Fabio Fornari MD
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  2. Giuseppe Civardi MD
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  3. Elisabetta Buscarini MD
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  4. Luigi Cavanna MD
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  5. Davide Imberti MD
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  6. Sandro Rossi MD
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  7. Giorgio Sbolli MD
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  8. Michele Di Stasi MD
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  9. Luigi Buscarini MD
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Fornari, F., Civardi, G., Buscarini, E. et al. Cirrhosis of the liver. Digest Dis Sci 35, 1403–1408 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01536748

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01536748

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