The study, conducted by Kaiser Permanente, was published in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology & Nutrition.
The study was based on information in the electronic health records of more than 510,000 children who were members of Kaiser Permanente Southern California. Researchers found that children and adolescents who were overweight were twice as likely to have gallstone disease, those who were moderately obese were four times as likely to have gallstones, and those who were extremely obese were six times as likely to have gallstones compared to children and adolescents with a normal BMI.
“The high rate of gallstones in obese children and adolescents may surprise pediatricians because gallstone disease is generally regarded as an adult disorder,” said George Longstreth, MD, senior study author and a gastroenterologist from Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center, in the release. “Since obesity is so common, pediatricians must learn to recognize the characteristic symptoms of gallstones,”
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