Gallstones crystals, the concretions of mineral salts, are formed by the precipitation of bile containing cholesterol and bilirubin in the gallbladder, an organ that stores bile, or biliary passages. Bile made by the liver is stored temporarily in the gallbladder between meals until it is needed in the intestine where it aids digest fats. Microscopic crystals can accumulate when the bile is stored, and eventually grow into gallstones. Gallstone disease is relatively rare in children as compared to adults, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Sickle Cell Anemia
Sickle-cell disease is a genetic blood disorder, in which the body produces abnormal red blood cells of crescent shape. In children with sickle cell anemia, the prevalence of gallbladder stone disease is 12 to 42 percent depending on the age, according to the American Pediatric Surgical Association. Patients with sickle cell disease are at increased risk for developing gallstones because their blood cells frequently die and release hemoglobin. The body breaks down the hemoglobin into bilirubin.
Hereditary Spherocytosis
In hereditary spherocytosis, the red blood cells of a child are abnormally small, rounder, and more fragile than normal due to a genetic mutation. This fragility causes the RBCs, or red blood cells, to be easily destroyed. Normal red blood cells live about 120 days in the body, but genetically defective RBCs are short-lived, living only 10 to 30 days. The incidence of gallstones in hereditary spherocytosis is 43 to 63 percent and is slightly more common in girls than boys, according to the American Pediatric Surgical Association. The treatment involves the surgical removal of the spleen to treat the condition.
Thalassemia Major
Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder, in which the body makes an abnormal form of hemoglobin, the iron-containing respiratory pigment of vertebrate red blood cells. This results in increased red blood cell destruction, leading to anemia, or low red blood cell count. The incidence of gallstones in children with thalassemia major varies from 2.3 to 23 percent and increases with age, according to the American Pediatric Surgical Association. However, the risk of gallstones in this patient population is decreasing, as a result of a hypertransfusion therapy
References
- American Pediatric Surgical Association: Cholelithiasis (Gallstones)
- Seattle Children's: What Is Sickle Cell Disease?
- Children's Hospital Boston: Gallstones (Cholelithiasis)
- Seattle Children's: What Is Hereditary Spherocytosis?
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Gallstones and Gallbladder Disease-Risk Factors
