Association between thyroid function and gallstone disease.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate those associations using data of the population-based Study of Health in Pomerania.


METHODS
A study population of 3 749 residents aged 20-79 years without previously diagnosed thyroid disease was available for analyses. Serum TSH was used to assess thyroid function. Cholelithiasis was defined by either a prior history of cholecystectomy or the presence of gallstones on ultrasound. Logistic regression was performed to analyze independent associations between thyroid function and cholelithiasis.


RESULTS
There were 385 persons (10.3%) with low (<0.3 mIU/L), 3 321 persons (88.6%) with normal and 43 persons (1.2%) with high serum TSH levels (>3 mIU/L). The proportion of cholelithiasis among males and females was 14.4% and 25.3%, respectively. Among males, there was an independent relation between high serum TSH and cholelithiasis (OR 3.77; 95%-CI 1.06-13.41; P<0.05). Also among males, there was a tendency towards an elevated risk of cholelithiasis in persons with low serum TSH (OR 1.40; 95%-CI 0.96-2.02; P = 0.07). In the female population, no such relation was identified.


CONCLUSIONS
There is an association between thyroid and gallstone disease with a gender-specific relation between hypothyroidism and cholelithiasis.
Völzke
Henry
H
Institute of Epidemiology and Social Medicine, Ernst Moritz Arndt University, Greifswald, Germany. voelzke@uni-greifswald.de
Robinson
Daniel M
DM
John
Ulrich
U
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002769:Cholelithiasis / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D042882:Gallstones / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013960:Thyroid Function Tests; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000097:blood
D013972:Thyrotropin