Objectives: To assess the prevalence of and risk factors for gallbladder (GB) polyps in the Chinese population.
Methods: A prospective ultrasonographic study of GB polyps was conducted in 3647 Chinese subjects who received a paid physical checkup at this hospital. Their demographic characteristics and biochemical parameters were recorded. Ultrasonographic diagnosis revealed a normal GB in 2946 subjects (1838 men, 1108 women), polyps in 243 (174 men, 69 women), gallstones in 286 (196 men, 90 women), a history of cholecystectomy in 100 (56 men, 44 women), mixed gallstones/GB polyps in 17 (10 men, seven women), and miscellaneous results in 35.
Results: Excluding subjects with cholecystectomy and mixed gallstones/GB polyps, the overall prevalence of GB polyps in the study group was 6.9%. The studied risk factors manifesting an increased odds ratio (OR) for the development of GB polyps were glucose intolerance (OR 1.506, p < 0.05) and male gender (OR 1.723, p < 0.05) in multivariate analysis. Other demographic characteristics and biochemical parameters, such as age, body mass index, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, blood pressure, lipid profile, hepatitis B virus carrier, liver function, and parity, did not exhibit any correlation to GB polyps.
Conclusions: Among Chinese of higher socioeconomic status, men and individuals with glucose intolerance tend to have a high risk for developing GB polyps.