The role of the gut microbiota in the genesis of gallstone formation in childhood
Authors: Kharitonova L. A. , Kucherya T. V. 
Published: June 2024

Cholelithiasis has been and remains a frequent socially significant public health problem worldwide. The pathomorphosis of the disease has also undergone significant changes, which has significantly rejuvenated, occurring not only at a young age, but also in childhood. More than 175,000 cholecystectomies are performed annually for cholelithiasis. Cholelithiasis affects 10-20% of the adult population in our country. At the same time, cholecystectomy came in second place after appendectomy. There are no official statistics on the prevalence of GCD in the general population of children in Russia. In the Krasnodar Territory, the incidence of cholelithiasis in childhood, according to the data of circulation, is 1.8-3.3%. Over the past decade, a number of studies have been conducted confirming the role of the microbiota in various parts of the gastrointestinal tract as a new link in the etiopathogenesis of GI. Intestinal bacteria (Clostridium, Bifidobacterium, Peptostreptococcus, Bacteroides, Eubacterium, Escherichia coli), involved in the oxidation and epimerization of bile acids, can disrupt enterohepatic circulation and lead to the formation of gallstones. At the same time, cholecystectomy leads to further transformation of the microbiota composition in various parts of the gastrointestinal tract, increasing the risk of developing stomach cancer and colorectal cancer. Further research is needed to determine the possibility of using the assessment of the composition of the gastrointestinal microbiota as a marker for the early diagnosis of various gastroenterological diseases of cholelithiasis in particular. The purpose of the study: To determine the role of the intestinal microbiota in the development of metabolic disorders in children with cholelithiasis in order to predict the complicated course of the disease. Material and methods. The work was carried out on the basis of the children’s city polyclinic No. 122 Moscow`s Health Department (chief physician - A.I. Bragin), 194 children with housing and communal services were under supervision. The control group consisted of 78 practically healthy children of the I Health group. The study groups were comparable in gender and age. Criteria for inclusion in the study: children with an established diagnosis of cholelithiasis, asymptomatic course at the age of 3 to 15 years. Exclusion criteria from the study: refusal of the child’s legal representative from the study, the presence of diagnosed acute diseases in the child during the last month, chronic somatic diseases, taking antibiotics and probiotics in the last 6 months, catamnestic observation for less than 12 months. General clinical studies were conducted: questionnaires, health assessment, anthropometry, biochemical examination of blood serum, including lipidogram, ultrasound examination of the abdominal cavity and gallbladder. To assess the intestinal microbiome, the following methods were used: standard bacteriological analysis of feces (method of sowing feces on liquid agarized nutrient media); complex coprological examination with the determination of pancreatic elastase (ELISA method) and fecal carbohydrates (Benedict method); biochemical examination of feces with the determination of short-chain fatty acids (SCFCS) (gas-liquid chromatography method); The Shannon index was adopted as a measure of intestinal dysbiosis. Statistical analysis was performed using the software package Statistica8.0 and MS OfficeExcel 2010/ The results of the study and the conclusion. The biotransformation of the bile acid pool mediated by the gut microbiota regulates the metabolism of bile, glucose and lipids. In children with GI, the number of bacteria representing the indigenous microbiota is generally lower, the intensity of colonization of the intestinal mucosa by them is significantly less, the species diversity of opportunistic and pathogenic bacteria is significantly higher compared with those in practically healthy children. There is an unstable and poor-quality system of interrelation with the macroorganism, disparate metabolic pathways. MK is not able to qualitatively maintain homeostasis within its own consortium. All this creates conditions for disruption of bile acid metabolism and the formation of lithogenic bile. The presence of intestinal dysbiosis in children with GI can cause not only the formation of gallstones, but also negatively affect the further growth and development of children, including the formation of metabolic complications and inflammatory processes.