Risk factors for gallstones in Tibetan Plateau

Objective To investigate the risk factors for gallstones in Tibetan Plateau.Methods A total of 254 patients who underwent ultrasound examination in a fasting state in Shigatse People's Hospital from April 1 to 15, 2017 were enrolled, and according to the results of ultrasound examination, these patients were divided into gallstone group with 45 patients and control group with 209 patients.A questionnaire survey, a physical examination, and a result analysis were performed for all patients.The t-test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between groups, and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between groups; the chi-square test or the Fisher's exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups; a logistic regression analysis was performed to identify risk factors for gallstones.Results There were significant differences between the gallstone group and the control group in 15 variables including age, drinking amount of Tibetan butter tea, systolic pressure, sex, ethnicity, education level, smoking, a history of inherited diseases, and HBs Ag (all P < 0.05) .The univariate and multivariate analyses showed that female sex (odds ratio [OR]= 3.765, 95% confidence interval [CI]:1.742-8.138) , a history of inherited diseases (OR = 5.995, 95% CI:1.666-21.580) , a low education level (OR = 2.907, 95% CI:1.342-6.295) , systolic pressure (OR = 1.022, 95% CI:1.004-1.041) , and drinking amount of Tibetan butter tea (OR = 1.082, 95% CI:1.007-1.163) were independent risk factors for gallstones in Tibetan Plateau (all P < 0.05) .Conclusion Sex, drinking amount of Tibetan butter tea, genetic factors, education level, and systolic pressure may be associated with the development of gallstones in Tibetan Plateau, which provides important information and clues for the prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment of gallstones in this area.