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Reduced risk of stroke following cholecystectomy: A nationwide population‐based study
Author(s) -
Wei ChengYu,
Chuang ShuHung,
Lin ChengLi,
Kung WoonMan,
Tai Hsu Chih,
Tsai Kevin WenKai,
Kao ChiaHung,
Chen ChienHua,
Yeh YungHsiang,
Hsu Chung Y
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of gastroenterology and hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.214
H-Index - 130
eISSN - 1440-1746
pISSN - 0815-9319
DOI - 10.1111/jgh.14678
Subject(s) - medicine , cholecystectomy , stroke (engine) , gallstones , asymptomatic , hazard ratio , risk factor , population , cohort study , confidence interval , retrospective cohort study , mechanical engineering , environmental health , engineering
Background and Aim Gallstones and stroke are common diseases worldwide. The relationship between gallstones and stroke has been documented in the literature. In this work, to characterize the risk of stroke among gallstone patients with and without cholecystectomy, we investigated the effects of cholecystectomy in a nationwide population‐based retrospective cohort study. Methods Data were obtained from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. The study comprised 155 356 gallstone patients divided into two groups: those with and without cholecystectomy. Results During the study period (2000–2012), 19 096 (17.8/1000 person‐years) gallstone patients without cholecystectomy and 11 913 (10.6/1000 person‐years) gallstone patients with cholecystectomy had a stroke. Following gallstone removal, the patients exhibited a significant decrease in the risk of overall stroke (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.60, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.59–0.61), ischemic stroke (HR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.58–0.61), and hemorrhagic stroke (HR = 0.56, 95% CI = 0.53–0.59). Asymptomatic and symptomatic gallstone patients had lower overall stroke risk after cholecystectomy (HR = 0.64, 95% CI = 0.62–0.67 and HR = 0.57, 95% CI = 0.56–0.59) than did asymptomatic gallstone patients without cholecystectomy. Conclusions This population‐based cohort study demonstrated that cholecystectomy is related to reduce the risk of overall stroke, ischemic stroke, and hemorrhagic stroke. Preventive measures for stroke may be considered for gallstone patients, particularly those presenting risk factor(s) for stroke.