Teen Gallbladder Surgery

Fast food means fast calories, which translates into childhood obesity.

It is a national epidemic, with one in three American children battling a weight problem.

As News 2's Paul Moniz reports, the consequences for overweight kids can be devastating.

Pediatric surgeon Brian Gilchrist, who works at Philadelphia's University Hospital, says in his practice he's seen gallbladder surgeries on kids quadruple over the past 5 years.

With obesity in children reaching an epidemic, the implications are stark: the gallbladder surgeries could put children at risk for diabetes, heart disease and adult obesity. Gallbladder surgery is most often-performed on overweight women in their 40s.

"They're sitting at computers, staying at home, not exercising," he says. "You see tremendous weight gains across the spectrum."

Twenty-year-old Kirsten Herrera never imagined her love of French fries and Chinese food would poison her body until debilitating abdominal cramps sent her 5 foot 2, 200 lb. frame to the emergency room for gallbladder surgery.

"This is the worst thing that ever happened to me," she says. "I can't walk by myself. The nurse has to come in and help me get off the bed. I need help to go the bathroom."

Kirsten's overeating had filled her gallbladder with more than 200 pea-sized gallstones.

He says Kirsten's gallbladder was one of the worst cases he had ever seen.

Gilchrist removed Kirsten's diseased gallbladder, a pear shaped sac under the liver which stores bile until the body needs it for digestion.

"It was like porcelain, like a cup," he says. "It was so hard from all the junk in there!"

Patients can live without a gallbladder. They may have difficulty digesting fats and must follow a strict diet.

Not every overweight child will develop gallstones.

Doctors say it's unclear why some metabolize fats better than others.

News 2's Paul Moniz spoke with specialists around the country who say this is a troubling trend.

They are urging parents to be vigilant about making sure their children eat healthy and exercise regularly.

©MMII CBS Worldwide Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed