Risk Factors for Cholelithiasis

A risk factor is something that increases your likelihood of getting a disease or condition.

It is possible to develop cholelithiasis (or gallstones ) with or without the risk factors listed below. However, the more risk factors you have, the greater your likelihood of developing gallstones. If you have a number of risk factors, ask your healthcare provider about what you can do to reduce your risk.

Risk factors include:

Gender

Women tend to get gallstones more frequently than men due to their higher estrogen levels.

Oral Estrogen Use

In addition, women who take oral contraceptives or postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy seem to have a higher risk of gallstones due to the estrogen these therapies contain.

Pregnancy

Pregnancy also increases estrogen levels, thereby increasing risk of gallstones.

Increasing Age

As you get older, usually 40 and over, your risk of gallstones increases.

Obesity and Diet

Having mainly abdominal fat appears to raise your risk of getting gallstones. Being even moderately overweight increases cholesterol in your bile, which may easily form gallstones.

In addition, rapid weight loss or fluctuating weight can increase your risk because low-calorie diets cause the gallbladder to contract less. People who have had gastric-bypass surgery to lose weight quickly also have an increased risk for gallstones.

Lack of Physical Activity

Lack of exercise is associated with a higher risk of developing gallstones, perhaps because the gallbladder is contracting less.

Family History of Gallstones

Like many other conditions, gallstones tend to run in families.

Ethnicity

Native Americans, Hispanic, and those of northern European descent develop gallstones more frequently than any other ethnicity in the United States. Gallstones occur less frequently among Asians and African-Americans.

Diseases of the Small Intestines

Diseases associated with gallstones include:

• Crohn’s disease
• Diabetes
• Sickle cell anemia
• Major trauma
• Paralysis

Need for Long-term Intravenous Nutrition (Total Parenteral Nutrition)

When it is necessary to provide nutrition through the veins, therefore bypassing the intestines, the gallbladder is less stimulated since there is no food going through the intestines. This increases your risk of gallstones.

Medications

Certain drugs are associated with an increased risk of developing gallstones, including:

• Fibrates
• Octreotide
• Somastatin
• Ceftraxone