Cholecystolithiasis in children and adolescents - influence of obesity andother factors

Objective. To assess the prevalence of and risk factors (e. g.,obesity and positive family history) for the development of cholecystolithiasis in a no n-selected collective of children and adolescents Design and participants. A series of 482 child ren a nd adolescents aged 6- 18 years underwent upper abdominal diagnostic ultrasound examinations as pa rt of a whole-community investigation (response rate: 78%) for Echinococcus multilocularis in a town in southern Germany. Results. Gallbladder stones were identified in th ree of 482 children, corr esponding to a prevalence of 0.6%. None of the three children was overweigh t at the time of the examination. Additional risk factors (pronounced weigh t reduction and Wilson's disease) were present in one study subject. Conclusions. Findings of the present study do not confirm the significance of obesity as a risk factor for cholecystolithiasis in children and adolesc ents.