A study published this week in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology & Nutrition indicates that overweight and obese children are at higher risk of gallstones.
The study, conducted by Kaiser Permanente, was based on the information in electronic health records of more than 500,000 children, ages 10 to 19, from 2007 to 2009. Researchers found that overweight children are twice as likely to suffer from gallstone disease compared to children and teens with a normal body mass index. Kids identified as moderately obese were four times as likely to develop gallstones, and extremely obese children were six times as likely. There also was a higher association between obesity and gallstones in girls.[pullquote]this points to a disturbing trend: Obese children being diagnosed with diseases normally considered adult conditions.[/pullquote]
Because of the size of the study, researchers could explore racial and ethnic health disparities, and they found that Hispanic youth had a higher likelihood of developing gallstones than children from other ethnicities.
Authors of the study point out that while they are common in obese adults, gallstones in children and teens have been historically rare, and that this points to a disturbing trend: Obese children being diagnosed with diseases normally considered adult conditions.
The study is part of ongoing research and community programs focused on identifying and treating childhood obesity. Earlier published research, the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Children’s Health Study, found that 7.3 percent of boys and 5.5 percent of girls under the age of 20 are extremely obese.
Read more on the study here. And check out the video, below, on the growing prevalence of extreme obesity in children.
