Cholelithiasis in Down syndrome

• Published in: Acta paediatrica Taiwanica = Taiwan er ke yi xue hui za zhi Vol. 45; no. 5; p. 269
• Main Authors: Chen, Ming-Hua, Chen, Shyh-Jye
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: China (Republic : 1949- ) 01.09.2004
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Age Factors; Child; Cholelithiasis - blood; Cholelithiasis - etiology; Cholesterol - blood; Down Syndrome - complications; Female; Humans; Male; Obesity - complications; Prevalence; Prospective Studies; Risk Factors; Sex Factors; Triglycerides - blood
• ISSN: 1608-8115
• DOI: 10.7097/APT.200410.0269

Cholelithiasis in infants, children and adolescents is rare, with a prevalence rate of less than 0.5%. The aim of this study was to determine the association between Down syndrome (DS) and cholelithiasis. We conducted a prospective, controlled study on 51 subjects (age range 11-20 years old) to assess the risk factors of cholelithiasis in children and adolescents with Down syndrome. The subjects recruited in the study consisted of 51 children with Down syndrome and 253 children in the control group. There was no statistical difference in gender and age between the DS and control groups. Gallstone disease was detected in 2 females, aged 17 and 19 years old, respectively. None had cholelithiasis in the control group. The result showed that children with DS had significantly higher prevalence of cholelithiasis (3.92%) compared with controls (0%) (p < 0.01). The overall prevalence of overweight and obesity in DS group was 83%, which was significantly higher than 20% in the control group (p < 0.01). Chromosome anomaly and overweight were two significant risk factors for cholelithiasis. Clinicians should be aware of increased risk of cholelithiasis in children with DS.