Plano, TX, Jan 17, 2016 – People who suffer from gallstones or take statins to control cholesterol may find they are at higher risk for the development of pancreatitis. This often painful inflammation of the pancreas can prove to be a serious condition that requires medical intervention. With increased risks for diabetes and pancreatic cancer, the condition is nothing to ignore. A recent study that links the development of gallstones and the use of statins to higher pancreatitis risk may offer hope for those who suffer from this condition.

“The study arrived at some very interesting findings that shed light on other potential causes of pancreatitis that go beyond the most common, which is alcohol abuse,” says Dr. Nick Nicholson, founder and lead surgeon of Abdominal Surgery Specialists, a part of the Nicholson Clinic for Weight Loss Surgery. “Perhaps the most interesting revelations included a lower pancreatitis recurrence rate for those who underwent gallbladder removal surgery and the discovery of gallstones in those who had previously undetected stones.”

The study in question involved patients in Finland who presented with acute pancreatitis. The multicenter study split 39 patients into a gallbladder removal group and 46 who served as a control group. During a follow-up of three years, 14 people in the control group and only four in the surgery group experienced pancreatitis recurrences. An increased risk for pancreatitis was also reported during the first year of statin use. In the gallbladder removal group, it was also found that several patients had stones that were not previously detected using ultrasounds.

“The study is significant in that it shows that gallstones may be an undetected root cause of pancreatitis in some sufferers,” says Dr. Nicholson.
People who suffer from acute pancreatitis are urged to work with their healthcare providers to address the symptoms. Gallbladder removal may be an option for addressing the root cause for some, but not all people.

About Abdominal Surgery Specialists :-
Founded by Dr. Nick Nicholson, one of the country’s leading weight loss surgeons and co-author of “Weight Loss Surgery: The Real Skinny,” Abdominal Surgery Specialists provides patients with a variety of options to treat conditions including gallbladders, hernias, reflux and obesity.