Role of iron deficiency in the formation of gall stones

Background : The old axiom that a typical gall stone sufferer is a fat, fertile, female of fifty, is only partially true, as the disease is found in women soon after their first delivery and also in underweight and thin people. So while searching for other parameters, iron deficiency was found to be a new parameter of interest in the aetiology of gall stones. Aims : The study was aimed at establishing the role of iron deficiency in the supersaturation of bile with cholesterol and thus formation of gallstones. Setting and Design : 50 patients suffering from Cholelithiasis were divided into two groups. Group A consisted of patients with normal serum iron levels (non-anaemic) and group B, of patients with less than normal serum iron (anaemic). Serum cholesterol and gall bladder bile cholesterol of both the groups were studied and compared. Materials and Methods: 50 patients of Cholelithiasis, confirmed by Ultrasonography (USG) were divided into anaemic and non-anaemic groups, based on serum iron levels. Serum cholesterol and gall bladder bile cholesterol of both the groups were estimated. Statistical Analysis Used : Students' t-test. The p-value < 0.05 was considered significant. Results : Total serum cholesterol was not different in gall stone formers from that of the general population.Gall bladder bile cholesterol was significantly higher in anaemic, than in non-anaemic individuals. Conclusion : Low serum iron levels lead to bile supersaturation with respect to cholesterol, which leads to gallstone formation.