Background and aim: The relation of helminthic infestation to hepatolithiasis is a subject of dispute. This case-control study was undertaken to evaluate the prevalence of helminthiasis in hepatolithiasis patients and to compare the clinicopathological features of hepatolithiasis between patients with and without helminthiasis.
Methods: The prevalence of ascariasis or clonorchiasis was evaluated using ELISA in 131 patients with hepatolithiasis who were treated at Show-Chwan Memorial Hospital and 121 subjects who constituted a control group. The patients' detailed histories and medical charts were reviewed.
Results: The prevalence of positive immunodiagnosis of ascariasis and clonorchiasis was higher in patients with hepatolithiasis than in control subjects (33.6%, 44/131 vs 17.4%, 21/121, odds ratio [OR] = 2.41, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.28-4.56, P = 0.005; and 6.9%, 9/131 v 0.8%, 1/121, OR = 8.85, 95% CI = 1.12-188.69, P = 0.02). Patients with helminthiasis rarely had concurrent gallbladder stones (26%, 12/47 vs 55%, 46/84, OR = 0.28, 95% CI = 0.12-0.66, P = 0.002). Prior to the diagnosis of hepatolithiasis in adulthood, most of the patients with helminthiasis tended to have a history of recurrent abdominal pain in their childhood and an asymptomatic 'lucid interval' during their teenage years (70.2%, 33/47 vs 39.3%, 33/84, OR = 3.64, 95% CI = 1.59-8.42, P = 0.0005). However, the prevalence of intrahepatic duct stricture (38.3%, 18/47 vs 40.5%, 34/84, OR = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.41-2.02, P > 0.05), secondary biliary cirrhosis (6.4%, 3/47 vs 3.6%, 3/84, OR = 1.84, 95% CI = 0.28-12.03, P > 0.05), cholangiocarcinoma (2.1%, 1/47 vs 0%, 0/84, OR = approximately , P > 0.05), and stone recurrence (54.8%, 24/42 vs 50.0%, 38/76, OR = 1.33, 95% CI = 0.58-3.06, P > 0.05) did not significantly increase.
Conclusions: Helminthiasis is a possible risk factor for hepatolithiasis, although it is unlikely to increase the incidence of complications, including bile duct stricture, secondary biliary cirrhosis, and cholangiocarcinoma. Patients with helminthiasis tend to have a history of an asymptomatic 'lucid interval' between the periods of recurrent abdominal pain in their childhood and the diagnosis of hepatolithiasis in their adulthood.