A researcher at Tulane recently conducted a meta analysis to see if there is a link between a person’s history of gallstones and cardiovascular disease. Interest in examining this possible connection was the commonality of risk factors for both diseases. The dataset used had 840K participants, 50K of whom had cardivascular disease. The data was analyzed in two ways by the researcher. Findings found that individuals who had gallbladder disease but were otherwise healthy had a 23% higher rate of heart disease. The study results contradict the results of other studies (mostly outside of the US) so more studies are needed, including clinical trials. One hypothesis for the connection is that both involve gut microbiota. Based on the preliminary study results, the recommendation is to monitor individuals with gallbladder disease for possible heart disease.
