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Gallstones Causes

Gallstones: Causes


Top Causes

1. Gender

It has been concluded from various researches that women are twice as likely to develop gallstones when compared to men. The main reason being the excess production of the estrogen hormone in the body during pregnancy, because of birth control pills and hormone replacement therapy which, in fact, heighten the level of cholesterol leading to gallstones. Women who use oral contraceptivea or those who are receiving treatment for menopause, breast cancer or osteoporosis go in for the oestrogen replacement therapy. This places them at a high risk for developing gallstones. Pregnancy is another reason for the development of cholesterol gallstones as the gallbladder does not contract in the normal manner and the bile also contains more cholesterol at this time.ย 

2. Family history or genetic predisposition

The tendency of developing gallstones in a person is high if gallstones run in the family, hence giving gallstones a genetic link. It is said that 30% of the people suffering from gallstones report to have had a close family member with the same condition. Hence, those that have a family history of gallstones can be at a higher risk for the same. Gastroenterologists have also discovered that a mutation in the gene ABCG8 sharply increases a person’s chances of developing gallstones as this gene controls the cholesterol pump that pushes the cholesterol from the liver towards the bile duct. Due to this mutation, the cholesterol pump works at a high rate continuously, leading to the formation of gallstones. The formation of gallstones can be due to a mix of various causes which makes it very complex.ย 

3. Obesity

A clinical study has clearly indicated that even exceeding the weight moderately increases the person’s chances of developing gallstones. The reason primarily appears to be that the amount of bile salts reduce in the bile, which leads to more cholesterol. The increased cholesterol hampers the emptying of the gallbladder as it starts becoming saturated into a gallstone. Obesity in women is particularly a major risk factor for gallstones. Weight cycling, or reducing weight rapidly and drastically and then putting it all back on again, causes the increased production of cholesterol in the liver that puts the person at a higher risk for gallstones. ย 

4. Rapid weight loss

During a crash diet, the body uses the fat stored in the body in order to cope with the prolonged fasting, leading to a rapid weight loss. During this process, the liver secretes more cholesterol inside the bile which prevents the gallbladder from emptying properly, ultimately leading to gallstone formation. People who lose weight rapidly, either due to crash dieting or weight loss surgery like gastric banding, puts them at a high risk for developing gallstones. People who are on a minimal calorie diet for 8-16 weeks have a 12% risk for gallstones, whereas the risk is 30%+ for those who have undergone gastric surgery for the first one year. Dieters feature quite high on the risk category for developing gallstones if they are on a very low fat/low calorie diet, have lost more that 1.5 kg per week or those who have lost more than 24% of their total body weight.ย 

5. Ethnicity

Gallstones are related to dietary intake, particularly fat intake, and hence the risk of gallstones varies among different nations. Northern Europeans and Hispanics are at a higher risk for gallstones than people with African or Asian roots. American Indians are genetically inclined to have high levels of cholesterol in the bile, making them at the highest risk (up to 80%) for gallstones in the USA,. Most Native American men develop gallstones by the age of 60. The tendency of developing gallstones is also quite high among the Mexican Americans. Hence, ethnicity has a major role to play in the risk of contracting gallstones.ย 

6. Cholesterol lowering drugs

It has been found that the drugs that are taken to lower the cholesterol levels in the blood actually increase the level of cholesterol that is secreted into the bile, putting the person at a high risk for developing gallstones. The bile actually contains chemicals that breaks down the cholesterol that is excreted by the liver. However, if the liver ends up excreting more cholesterol than what the bile can break down, then the excess cholesterol solidifies and turns it into crystals, which later develop into gallstones.

7. Crohn's disease

Individuals suffering from Crohn’s disease are at a high risk of developing gallstones, as the patient lacks the required bile acids that dissolve the cholesterol in the bile. The bile acids that go inside the small intestine from the liver and gallbladder get absorbed back into the body, leading to a recycling of bile acids. However, when a person has Crohn’s disease, the terminal ileium becomes diseased leading to an uneven absorption of the bile acids, leading to a deficit of bile acids. This deficiency in bile acids does not effectively dissolve the cholesterol in the bile, leading to gallstone formation.ย 

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