Association of Visceral and Dysfunctional Adiposity Indices with Gallstone Disease: A Retrospective Observational Study

Erman Yekenkurul; Mehmet Fuat Çetin; Fatih Gürsoy; Mehmet Emin Gönüllü

doi:10.18678/dtfd.1901466

Association of Visceral and Dysfunctional Adiposity Indices with Gallstone Disease: A Retrospective Observational Study

Abstract

Aim: Evidence regarding the association of the visceral adiposity index (VAI) and dysfunctional adiposity index (DAI) with gallstone presence remains limited. This study evaluated their associations with gallstone presence and their discriminative performance.

Material and Methods: This retrospective observational study included 721 adults who underwent abdominal ultrasonography between 2018 and 2024. Demographic, anthropometric, and laboratory data were retrieved from medical records. VAI and DAI were compared between patients with and without gallstones.

Results: Gallstones were identified in 362 patients, while 359 patients served as gallstone-negative controls. Patients with gallstones were older (48.6±12.3 vs. 44.1±11.8 years, p<0.001), more frequently female (62.4% vs. 54.3%, p=0.028), and had higher BMI values (29.4±4.7 vs. 27.8±4.3 kg/m², p<0.001). Fasting glucose, triglyceride, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels were higher, whereas high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels were lower in the gallstone group. VAI (3.42±1.11 vs. 2.87±1.04) and DAI (1.74±0.52 vs. 1.49±0.47) were also significantly higher in patients with gallstones (both p<0.001). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis demonstrated moderate discrimination for VAI (area under the curve (AUC)=0.71, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.66-0.75, p<0.001) and DAI (AUC=0.69, 95% CI: 0.65-0.74, p<0.001). Age (odds ratio (OR)=1.03, 95% CI: 1.01-1.05, p=0.001), female sex (OR=1.38, 95% CI: 1.02-1.89, p=0.037), VAI (OR=1.62, 95% CI: 1.25-2.10, p<0.001), and DAI (OR=1.47, 95% CI: 1.12-1.93, p=0.005) were found independently associated with gallstone presence.

Conclusion: Higher VAI and DAI values were independently associated with gallstone presence. However, their moderate discriminative performance suggests that they should be considered complementary metabolic indicators rather than stand-alone diagnostic tools.

Keywords

Ethical Statement

This study was approved by the Clinical Research Ethics Committee of Düzce University (Date: September 22, 2025; Approval No: 2025/262). All procedures were conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Metabolic Medicine

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Erman Yekenkurul ^*
0000-0002-6725-4289
Türkiye

Mehmet Fuat Çetin
0000-0002-9418-7288
Türkiye

Fatih Gürsoy
0000-0001-8299-494X
Türkiye

Mehmet Emin Gönüllü
0000-0001-9126-2396
Türkiye

Publication Date

August 21, 2026

Submission Date

March 2, 2026

Acceptance Date

August 5, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 28 Number: 2

DOI

https://doi.org/10.18678/dtfd.1901466

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA56GU74EY

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Yekenkurul, E., Çetin, M. F., Gürsoy, F., & Gönüllü, M. E. (2026). Association of Visceral and Dysfunctional Adiposity Indices with Gallstone Disease: A Retrospective Observational Study. Duzce Medical Journal, 28(2), 193-199. https://doi.org/10.18678/dtfd.1901466

AMA

1.Yekenkurul E, Çetin MF, Gürsoy F, Gönüllü ME. Association of Visceral and Dysfunctional Adiposity Indices with Gallstone Disease: A Retrospective Observational Study. Duzce Med J. 2026;28(2):193-199. doi:10.18678/dtfd.1901466

Chicago

Yekenkurul, Erman, Mehmet Fuat Çetin, Fatih Gürsoy, and Mehmet Emin Gönüllü. 2026. “Association of Visceral and Dysfunctional Adiposity Indices With Gallstone Disease: A Retrospective Observational Study”. Duzce Medical Journal 28 (2): 193-99. https://doi.org/10.18678/dtfd.1901466.

EndNote

Yekenkurul E, Çetin MF, Gürsoy F, Gönüllü ME (August 1, 2026) Association of Visceral and Dysfunctional Adiposity Indices with Gallstone Disease: A Retrospective Observational Study. Duzce Medical Journal 28 2 193–199.

IEEE

[1]E. Yekenkurul, M. F. Çetin, F. Gürsoy, and M. E. Gönüllü, “Association of Visceral and Dysfunctional Adiposity Indices with Gallstone Disease: A Retrospective Observational Study”, Duzce Med J, vol. 28, no. 2, pp. 193–199, Aug. 2026, doi: 10.18678/dtfd.1901466.

ISNAD

Yekenkurul, Erman - Çetin, Mehmet Fuat - Gürsoy, Fatih - Gönüllü, Mehmet Emin. “Association of Visceral and Dysfunctional Adiposity Indices With Gallstone Disease: A Retrospective Observational Study”. Duzce Medical Journal 28/2 (August 1, 2026): 193-199. https://doi.org/10.18678/dtfd.1901466.

JAMA

1.Yekenkurul E, Çetin MF, Gürsoy F, Gönüllü ME. Association of Visceral and Dysfunctional Adiposity Indices with Gallstone Disease: A Retrospective Observational Study. Duzce Med J. 2026;28:193–199.

MLA

Yekenkurul, Erman, et al. “Association of Visceral and Dysfunctional Adiposity Indices With Gallstone Disease: A Retrospective Observational Study”. Duzce Medical Journal, vol. 28, no. 2, Aug. 2026, pp. 193-9, doi:10.18678/dtfd.1901466.

Vancouver

1.Erman Yekenkurul, Mehmet Fuat Çetin, Fatih Gürsoy, Mehmet Emin Gönüllü. Association of Visceral and Dysfunctional Adiposity Indices with Gallstone Disease: A Retrospective Observational Study. Duzce Med J. 2026 Aug. 1;28(2):193-9. doi:10.18678/dtfd.1901466