Role of Infection and the Risk of Cholelithiasis

This article aims to deepen the understanding of the role of () infection in the development of cholelithiasis, initiated by the article by Yao , who investigated the potential link between infection and the development of cholelithiasis through a multicenter retrospective study on an Asian population of over 70000 participants. They also performed a comprehensive analysis of previously published studies on and cholelithiasis, finding a positive association therein [odds ratio (OR) = 1.103, = 0.049]. Patients positive for also had lower levels of total and direct bilirubin, but higher levels of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol compared to uninfected patients ( < 0.05). Cohort studies have confirmed that is a risk factor for cholelithiasis ( < 0.0001), and aggregate analyses of case-control and cross-sectional studies have shown a positive association between and cholelithiasis in Asia (OR = 1.599, = 0.034), but not in Europe (OR = 1.277, = 0.246). Moreover, appears to be related to a higher ratio of choledocholithiasis/cholecystolithiasis (OR = 3.321, = 0.033). The authors conclude that infection is positively correlated with cholelithiasis, particularly with the choledocholithiasis phenotype, especially in Asia, and it is potentially related to bilirubin and cholesterol metabolism.