Sex difference, serum insulin and gall bladder stone formation

ABSTRACT

This work was conducted on 78 patients [39 males and 39 females] having gall bladder stone disease diagnosed by either cholecystectomy for calcular gall bladder or proved by abdominal ultrasonography. They were divided into three groups, the first group included 12 males and 10 females aged < 40 years, the second group included 12 males and 18 females aged between 40 and 60 years, the last group included 15 males and 11 females aged > 60 years. All of them were non-diabetic, and for all of them estimation of fasting blood glucose and plasma insulin levels, together with postprandial blood glucose levels were done in order to study the sex variation in serum insulin and its role in the prevalence of gall stone disease. The results showed a statistically significant higher fasting serum insulin levels in females as compared to males, especially within the age group 40 to 60 years, and this might explain the increased prevalence of gall bladder stone disease among females