Association between the non-HDL-cholesterol-to-HDL-cholesterol ratio and the risk of gallbladder polyp formation among men: a retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND: Dyslipidaemia and male sex are associated with gallbladder polyp (GBP) formation. However, the potential relation between the non-high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol-to-high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (non-HDL-c/HDL-c) ratio and GBPs in men is unclear. METHODS: A total of 1866 eligible subjects were selected for this retrospective cohort study from Wuhan Union Hospital between April 1, 2013, and November 30, 2014. Clinical and laboratory data of subjects were collected. Patients with GBPs or cholecystectomy at baseline, with missing data for baseline lipid profiles, following abdominal ultrasonography or taking lipid-lowering drugs were excluded. The patients were divided into five groups based on their non-HDL-c/HDL-c ratios, and descriptive analyses of the baseline data were performed. A Cox proportional hazards model was applied to estimate the relationship between the non-HDL-c/HDL-c ratio and GBPs. RESULTS: After a median follow-up of 1 year, 7.34% (n = 137) of the subjects developed GBPs. Compared with subjects without GBPs, those who developed GBPs after follow-up had significantly higher triglyceride (TG) levels and non-HDL-c/HDL-c ratios. The prevalence of GBPs showed a linearity increment with age, peaked in the 30–39 years group, 40–49 years group and 50–59 years group, and then declined slightly. The results of univariate analysis showed that the non-HDL-c/HDL-c ratio (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.29, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.05–1.60, P = 0.0159) was positively correlated with GBPs. In the fully adjusted Cox regression model, the HRs were 2.24 for quintile 2 (95% CI: 1.13–4.44, P = 0.0203), 1.50 for quintile 3 (95% CI: 0.73–3.10, P = 0.269), 2.52 for quintile 4 (95% CI: 1.26–5.01, P = 0.0087) and 2.13 for quintile 5 (95% CI: 1.04–4.37, P = 0.0397). No interaction was found among the subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: A higher non-HDL-c/HDL-c ratio is independently related to a higher risk of GBP formation in Chinese men. Further research is needed to investigate whether this association exists in different regions and races.