(India) With childhood obesity on the rise, gallstones are increasingly detected in children

July 1, 2025, New Indian Express: Children too young for gallstones? Not anymore!

For months, nine-year-old Aanya was treated for gastritis. Her stomach pain came and went, often brushed off with antacids and diet advice. But nothing helped.

It was an ultrasound that later revealed the real cause — multiple gallstones. Doctors were surprised, but not entirely. Ananya had a high BMI and consumed fried food almost daily — factors increasingly linked to gallstone formation in children.

She underwent laparoscopic gallbladder removal. Surgeons found the organ contracted and chronically inflamed, suggesting the problem had been progressing for a while. Her recovery was smooth, but the case has raised red flags.

With childhood obesity on the rise, doctors are seeing adult-like lifestyle diseases in younger patients. Once considered a condition confined to adults, gallstones are increasingly being detected in children — a shift that experts warn is closely tied to growing rates of childhood obesity and poor dietary habits.

A study published in the National Library of Medicine in June 2024, which examined 44 children aged 5-18, found a predominance of cases in adolescents, nearly 30% of whom were overweight or obese.

Shifting trends

Gallstone, or cholelithiasis, was rarely diagnosed in children until recently. Now, with rising obesity levels, doctors are seeing more paediatric cases.

“Obesity alters the composition of the bile, making it more cholesterol-rich and prone to forming stones. Adiposity also leads to reduced gallbladder motility, allowing bile to stagnate - another contributor to stone formation," said Dr Shreya Dubey, associate director of paediatrics & neonatology, CK Birla Hospital, Gurugram.

Dr Mriganka Sekhar Sharma, chief consultant, department of general minimal access and bariatric surgery at Manipal Hospital Gurugram, noted that excess fat impairs gallbladder motility and increases cholesterol secretion by the liver. “Obesity has been found to increase the risk of cholelithiasis development due to impaired gallbladder motility, excessive hepatic secretion, and bile saturation of cholesterol. Such children are far more likely to develop symptomatic gallstones than their healthier-weight peers,” he said. . . .

Poor quality diet

Experts attribute the rising obesity levels — and by extension gallstones — to widespread dietary imbalances among children.

Dr Sharma pointed to the common urban diet: processed snacks, sugary beverages, and low fiber. “This proclivity creates the perfect storm, elevating triglycerides and bile cholesterol levels, directly increasing gallstone risk,” he said.

Modern diets rich in saturated fats and low in fiber are triggering metabolic conditions in children, including gallbladder disease, said Dr V S Chauhan, Director General (Surgery), Fortis Hospital, Noida. He pointed out that erratic eating patterns, such as skipping meals, impairs gallbladder emptying, and increases the risk of stones.

. . .These dietary habits, common among the urban youth, are likely contributing to the growing incidence of paediatric gallstones,” he explained. . . .

Missing early signs

Experts highlighted a worrying scenario in identifying young patients. Despite the rising numbers, routine screening for gallstones is not a standard practice in paediatric care — even in high-risk children, they said. . . .

Dr Chauhan said many cases are discovered incidentally or only after complications develop, including cholecystitis or pancreatitis. He called for wider use of ultrasonography, which is non-invasive and effective. . . .