Gallbladder volume in adults, and relationship to age, sex, body mass index, and gallstones: a sonographic population study

The influence of gender, age, body size, cholelithiasis, and obesity on fasting gallbladder volume (GBV) was investigated by real-time ultrasonography in a general population cohort of subjects whose ages were between 30 and 69 yr, living in Bari, a Southeastern Italian city. Of the 2076 subjects analyzed, 1246 (60%) were males and 830 (40%) were females (mean age 50 yr). Among them, 1703 subjects were healthy, 108 had gallstones, and 265 were obese. Fasting GBV in healthy individuals was larger in males (M) than in females (F) [M, 18.7 ± 0.3 (SEM) ml vs. F, 17.0 ± 0.3 ml; p < 0.001] and obese (M, 23.4 ± 1.5 ml vs. 19.7 ± 0.9 ml; p < 0.05). The trend was similar in gallstone patients, but it was not statistically significant (M, 23.0 ± 2.0 ml vs. F, 18.8 ± 1.5 ml; t = 1.64). Gallbladder size correlated positively with body size in the lean healthy population (p < 0.01), increased with age in healthy nonobese males (p < 0.01), and was smaller in healthy males than in males with gallstones (0.01 < p < 0.02) and obese, in both sexes (p < 0.01). We conclude that fasting GBV 1) is larger in lean healthy and obese males than females, 2) increases with age in lean males and with body size in healthy lean females, and 3) is greater in patients with gallstones and in obese subjects, and this might partially account for the defective gallbladder motor function reported in these patients.