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Because statins attenuate hepatic production of cholesterol, their use might lower risk for cholesterol gallstones, but study results have been equivocal. Researchers used a U.K. general practice registry to identify 27,000 cholecystectomy patients (about 2/3 with and 1/3 without prior diagnoses of gallstones) and matched them with 100,000 controls for age (mean, 53 years), sex (76% women), and site of general practice.
Roughly 8% of study patients and controls were taking statins. However, in a multivariate analysis adjusting for relevant background characteristics (including body-mass index), current statin use was associated with a 22% reduction in risk for gallstones necessitating cholecystectomy; the reduction was significant for patien…