Gallbladder disease is one of the most common digestive disorders. Cholecystitis is an inflammation of the gallbladder wall, that is almost always associated with cholelithiasis, or gallstones. Cholecystitis and cholelithiasis appear to be caused by the actions of several genes and environment working together. It has been reported that an ABCB4 mutation which causes a deficiency in biliary phosphatidylcholine secretion is associated with gallstones. Recently, several common DNA polymorphisms in the ABCG8 gene were discovered that are associated with gallstone disease.
