The Relationship between Cholelithiasis and Diabetes Mellitus: Discussion of Age, Obesity, Hyperlipidemia and Neuropathy

Abstract

TANNO, N., KOIZUMI, M. and GOTO, Y. The Relationship between Cholelithiasis and Diabetes Mellitus: Discussion of Age, Obesity, Hyperlipidemia and Neuropathy. Tohoku J. exp. Med., 1988, 154 (1), 11-20 - We investigated the patients who underwent operation for cholelithiasis and the diabetic patients at our clinic in order to determine whether there was a significant relationship between the occurrence of cholesterol gallbladder stone and age, obesity, hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus and neuropathy. In 647 patients undergoing surgery, cholesterol gallstones were not highly associated with diabetes mellitus or hyperlipidemia, compared with calcium bilirubinate and black stones. Eighty-seven percent of the male operated patients and 88% of the female patients were over 40 years old of age. Of the female patients in whom gallstones were detected at surgery, 36% were obese. We found cholesterol gallbladder stone in 11.5% (males 11%, females 12%) of 208 diabetic patients at our clinic. All of them were over 40 years old. The prevalence of cholesterol gallbladder stones was related to the decrease in motor nerve conduction velocity in the male diabetic patients (p< 0.05). We observed that method of treatment had no definite effect on the prevalence of gallbladder stones. Fifty-four percent of the diabetic patients was normolipidemic in both sexes. Obesity was present in 64% of the female cholesterol gallbladder stone patients. Our data suggest that age, obesity and poor contraction of the gallbladder could be high risk factors for cholesterol gallstone formation.