Gallstones, obesity, insulin resistance, and obstructive sleep apnea – current knowledge on the topic: A literature review

Cholelithiasis is one of the most common gastrointestinal diseases, which often manifests asymptomatically. Statistically, up to 20% of the global population is affected by gallbladder diseases. The prevalence of these conditions rapidly increases with the patient's age. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleeprelated breathing disorder that causes pharyngeal airway collapse, hypopnea and snoring. It is estimated that nearly half of the global population suffer from OSA. Cholelithiasis and OSA are separate medical conditions. However, they both affect a significant part of the general population, have tremendous impact on patients' overall health, and share common risk factors, pathophysiology and disease development.Thus, the aim of this brief narrative review is to summarize and update the current knowledge on the link between gallstone disease and OSA regarding the prevalence of obesity and insulin resistance in patients with both OSA and cholelithiasis.