Miscellaneous factors

Miscellaneous factors that predispose an individual to mixed and cholesterol gallstones include:

• race - incidence in caucasians is twice that in blacks
• age and sex - in general, the incidence increases with age. Before puberty, the incidence is approximately equal between the sexes. From puberty to menopause, women show a greater incidence than men, but the discrepancy decreases after the menopause
• parity - incidence of stones higher in multiparous women
• diet - cholesterol-rich foods include dairy products and red meat
• drugs:
  • increased secretion of cholesterol by the liver - for example, fibrate
  • complication of octreotide therapy; this is a somatostatin analogue used to treat patients with gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumours and acromegaly