| Summary: | Gallstone disease (GD) is a major health problem in developed societies, affecting up to 15% of the general population.1 Although many risk factors for gallstone formation are not modifiable; obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, rapid weight loss and a sedentary lifestyle are risk factors for GD that can be changed.1 Moreover, the chronic use of some drugs (e.g., octreotide, thiazide diuretics and some oral contraceptives) may also increase the risk of developing GD.1 In contrast, long-term statin use seems to prevent gallstone formation, possibly by decreasing biliary cholesterol secretion and saturation and inhibition of cholesterol crystal formation.1,2 The rising pandemic of obesity and the metabolic syndrome is likely to lead to an increase in the prevalence of gallstones in many parts of the world in the foreseeable future.
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