High familial prevalence of gallstones in the first-degree relatives of gallstone patients

Abstract

Limited information is available on the prevalence of gallstones in the first-degree relatives of gallstone patients. Three groups of subjects were studied by real-time ultrasound examination: group A, 105 index gallstone patients (male/female; 20:85); group B, 330 first-degree relatives of index patients; group C, matched controls for group A (n = 105) and group B (n = 330) subjects. Dietary, anthropometric, and biochemical investigations were carried out. In 39 of 105 (37%) index cases, one or more additional family members had gallstones (positive-index case). The positive-index cases were younger than the remaining index cases (mean age, 33.1 +/- 14 vs. 44.5 +/- 13.1 years; P < .05). Fifty-one of 330 (15.5%) first-degree relatives had gallstones, nearly four and a half times (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.4 to 8.5) more often than in the matched control population (12 of 330 [3.6%]). Thirty-three of 51 (65%) positive relatives were women; mother (37.3%), sister (17.6%) or daughters (10%) to the index patients. There was no difference in the diet, physical activity, and serum lipid profile between the positive index patients and the remaining gallstone patients and positive relatives and their controls. Our results show that there is a strong familial predisposition for gallstone formation. Female relatives of young gallstone patients should be routinely screened for gallstones.

Family history of gallstones and the risk of biliary tract cancer and gallstones: A population‐based study in Shanghai, China

“…In addition to gallstones, the risk factors for gallbladder cancer, such as obesity, insulin resistance, high-fat or high-caloric diet and altered lipid metabolism tend to run in families 8,9,12,32 (Hsing AW, Rashid A, Sakoda L, Deng J, Han T, Wang BS, Shen MC, Fraumeni JF Jr., Gao YT. Gallstones and the risk of biliary tract cancer: a population-based study.…”

“…Ethnic and familial predisposition suggests the role of genetic predisposition or shared metabolic and lifestyle factors, including obesity, insulin resistance, or high-fat, high-caloric diet. 1,[6][7][8] Familial aggregation of gallstones has been reported in several studies, [9][10][11] but only one assessed the role of family history of gallstones in biliary tract cancer etiology. A case-control study of gallbladder cancer in Bolivia and Mexico reported that a family history of gallstones was associated with a 3.6-fold risk of gallbladder cancer.…”

Gallstone Disease and Cholesterolosis in Monozygotic Twin Sisters

“…Many studies indicate that gallstone susceptibility has genetic components [5][6][7]15]. The genetic polymorphisms in various genes for apo E, apo B, apo A1, LDL receptor, cholesterol ester transfer and LDL receptor-associated protein, have been implicated in gallstone and polyp for mation.…”

“…Both are clearly multi factorial disorders depending on both genetic and non genetic factors. Family and population studies have revealed a genetic predisposi tion in about 10-40% of patients with these diseases [5][6][7]. We describe a pair of monozygotic twins, one of whom developed gallstone disease and the other developed cho lesterolosis.…”

Apolipoprotein E genotype and the risk of gallbladder disease in pregnancy

“…[7][8][9] Because cholesterol hypersecretion in bile is a prerequisite for gallstone formation, one can postulate that alterations in cholesterol synthesis, metabolism, or transport may affect the risk of gallstone formation. Genetic variation in cholesterol metabolism may thus play a role.…”