Gallbladder disease in patients 20 years of age and under

Cholecystitis is uncommon in individuals under 21 years of age and, when present, usually is associated with pregnancy, sepsis, metabolic defects, hemolytic anemia, or hereditary disorders. Over the past 4 1/2 years, 92 patients 20 years of age and younger have been admitted to our institution with gallbadder disease. Of these patients, 88 were female and 76 were of Mexican-American origin. Only two of these individuals had associated hemolytic anemia. Seventy-six of these females had been pregnant at least once, and 57 were more than 10 pound overweight. Cholecystectomy was done on 88 of these patients, and cholelithiasis was found in 86. There were 28 explorations of the common bile duct, 18 of which were positive. This series represents an earlier onset of cholelithiasis in this population.