Fatty liver increases gallstone disease risk in younger Chinese patients

We investigated possible associations between fatty liver and gallstone disease (GD) in a Chinese population. This cross-sectional study included 897 people who visited the clinical center and underwent ultrasonography at The First Hospital of Jilin University between January 2018 and June 2018. The overall prevalence of GD was 8.8%; the between-sex difference (9.3% in men, 8.4% in women) was not statistically significant. The risk of GD was similar for men and women across all age groups. GD prevalence increased steadily with increasing age, from 2.1% in patients ≤30 years of age to 15.4% in those >70 years of age. Older age (≥50 years) and fatty liver were associated with GD development. Diabetes mellitus (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 3.066; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.563–6.013) was associated with GD in female but not in male subjects. In younger patients (<50 years), fatty liver (AOR: 5.268; 95% CI: 1.832–15.147) was associated with GD development. The factors older age and fatty liver predicted GD risk in Chinese individuals. Further studies are required to explore differences in lithogenesis according to sex.