title: Gallstones in childhood: etiology, clinical features, and prognosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to determine demographic and clinical features in children diagnosed with gallstones, risk factors for gallstone formation, the effectiveness of ursodeoxycholic acid therapy, and the course of the disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients aged 0-18 years were followed up for at least 6 months after the diagnosis of gallstones with ultrasonography and were evaluated retrospectively. Patients were evaluated with respect to age, sex, presenting symptoms, BMI, facilitating factors, accompanying diseases, family history of gallstones, history of ceftriaxone use, laboratory tests, ultrasonography findings and follow-up, and therapeutic approaches and results.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study was completed with 70 patients. Thirty-nine (55.7%) patients were females. The mean age of the patients was 9.3±5.29 (0.3-18) years. The mean age among females was statistically significantly higher than that among males (P=0.007).No risk factor for stone formation was encountered in 50% of cases, whereas a family history of gallstones was present in 17.1%. Use of ceftriaxone was present in 8.6% of cases, total parenteral nutrition in 10%, obesity in 5.7%, hereditary spherocytosis in 4.3%, and Down's syndrome in 4.3%. The probability of dissolution of stones was 3.6 times higher in patients with stone sizes up to 5 mm [odds ratio (OR): 3.65, P=0.020], 3.9 times higher in those aged younger than 2 years (OR: 3.92, P=0.021), and 13.9 times higher in those with a single stone (OR: 13.97, P=0.003).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings show that unknown causes are still prevalent in stone formation and that ursodeoxycholic acid exerts no effect on stone dissolution; however, diagnosis at younger than 2 years of age, a single stone, and small size of stone are factors affecting dissolution.
authors.affiliation: Departments of aPediatrics bGeneral Surgery cPediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition dInfectious Disease and Clinical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Suleyman Demirel University, Isparta, Turkey.
authors.forename: Filiz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Serdaroglu
authors.forename: Yavuz S
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Koca
authors.forename: Fatma
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Saltik
authors.forename: Tugba
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Koca
authors.forename: Selim
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dereci
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Akcam
authors.forename: Fusun Z
authors.initials: FZ
authors.lastname: Akcam
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002443:Ceftriaxone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002756:Cholagogues and Choleretics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002763:Cholecystectomy; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D042882:Gallstones / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008487:Medical History Taking; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010289:Parenteral Nutrition, Total / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014580:Ursodeoxycholic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D002756:Cholagogues and Choleretics; D014580:Ursodeoxycholic Acid; D002443:Ceftriaxone