Correlation of Gallstone Disease with Total Body Fat and Its Distribution: A Prospective Case Control Study

AbstractBackground: Approximately one fifth of adults are diagnosed with gallstones worldwide. The risk of gallstones is influenced by a combination of genetic and life style factors, such as physical inactivity, diet, medications and obesity. In fact, body mass has been demonstrated to be a major risk factor for symptomatic gallstonesAims & Objectivesa) To study any association between gallstone disease and distribution of total body fat.b) To evaluate the efficacy of various anthropometric indicators as predictors of gallstone disease.Methods: It was a prospective case control study conducted on 100 patients, (50 patients 0f gallstones as cases and 50 patients without gall stone as controls) obesity was measured by body mass index(BMI), waist hip ratio(WHiR), waist to height ratio(WHT) and Bioelectrical impendence analysis (BIA) in central research lab of our institute. A written informed consent will be taken from all cases before enrolment in the study. Result: In this study % of total fat in cases & controls were 41.78±11.01 & 35.01±13.55 respectively, was found to be statistically significant. The mean Hip circumference and abdominal/hip ratio in cases was 95.84±9.14 & 0.90±0.15 respectively while in controls these were 86.45±11.02 & 1.01±0.12 respectively, which is statistically significant. The mean LDL & HDL cholesterol levels in cases were 102.54±29.24 & 59.46±15.67 respectively while its levels in controls were 73.16±22.83 & 79.44±27.52 respectively which is statistically significant, However VLDL cholesterol, triglyceride (TG) & total cholesterol did not reflect any significant difference between the two groups. Majority of patients in both groups (98%) were vegetarian. The mean age of the cases was 47.56±14.7 yr while it was 37.96±13.55 yr for the control group. The co morbidities like HTN, DM & TB have not shown any significant association with gall stones. Conclusion: The % of total body fat is helpful in determining the risk of gall stone disease. The Hip circumference &Abdomen/hip girth ratio can play an important role in prediction of gall stone disease. The serum LDL & HDL levels have also showed the promising results in its prediction. Therefore, effective clinical indicators are valuable for predicting or preventing the development of gallstone disease.