Risk of Gallstones Requiring Surgery Reduced by Statin Use

Use of cholesterol-lowering drugs or statins for over a year can significantly lower a person's risk of developing gallstones that require surgery, a new study has said.

Gallstones are classified as either cholesterol (80 percent-90 percent) or pigment stones (10 percent-20 percent), with cholesterol stones formed on the basis of cholesterol-supersaturated bile.

Gallstones (Cholelithiasis) - Causes - Symptoms - Diagnosis - Treatment - FAQs
The gallbladder is a small pear-shaped organ that stores and concentrates bile Gallstones are crystalline stones that form inside the gall bladder or bile duct.

"Statins decrease hepatic [liver] cholesterol biosynthesis and may therefore lower the risk of cholesterol gallstones by reducing the cholesterol concentration in the bile. Data on this association in humans are scarce," said the authors.

During the study, Dr Michael Bodmer, M.Sc., of University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland, examined the association between statin use and the risk of developing gallstone disease followed by cholecystectomy or surgical removal of the gallbladder.

"This large observational study provides evidence that patients with long-term statin use have a reduced risk of gallstone disease followed by cholecystectomy compared with patients without statin use," said the researchers.

Drinking Moderate Amount of Wine Everyday Prevents Gallstones
Researchers at the University of East Anglia have revealed that drinking a moderate amount of alcohol everyday may be able to prevent formation of gallstones.

"However, the odds ratio was not decreased for patients with short-term statin use but started to decrease after 5 prescriptions, reflecting approximately 1 to 1.5 years of treatment," they added.

The study appears in Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA).

Moderate Amount of Alcohol Reduces Risk of Gallstones
A study by researchers at the University of East Anglia in the UK has found that consuming a moderate amount of alcohol may reduce the risk of gallstones.

Source-ANI
RAS

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