Fatty liver disease is on the rise among children, as they spend more time at home and rely heavily on junk food, a doctor said at the launch of a paediatric gastroenterology department at a hospital in Sonarpur on Friday.

There are very few hospitals in the country with a dedicated paediatric gastroenterology department, although gastro issues are seeing a sharp spike among
children.

On Friday, the paediatric gastroenterology unit at the Indian Institute of Liver and Digestive Sciences (IILDS), Sonarpur, was launched with five beds. It will be expanded to 10 beds later on, said a doctor.

“The food habits of children have changed. Twenty years ago, children did not have gastrointestinal issues in such large numbers as they do today. Nowadays, children as young as 10 and 11 years are also having fatty liver disease,” said Ujjal Poddar, the head of the gastroenterology unit at IILDS.

“Children nowadays are mostly confined to homes and have a sedentary lifestyle. They rely on junk food and do not eat wholegrains and fruits. All of this is leading to fat deposition in the liver and obesity. But there are only a few hospitals with dedicated paediatric gastroenterology units,” said Poddar, a retired professor of paediatric gastroenterology at Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS), Lucknow.

Among the hospitals with paediatric gastroenterology units are Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh; Institute of Child Health, Chennai; SSKM Hospital; and SGPGIMS, Lucknow, said a doctor.

“We have started with five beds. Indoor admissions and OPD clinics will start on March 2. We will also run paediatric gastroenterology OPD six days a week,” said a doctor.

The hospital celebrated its 10th anniversary on Friday.

Partha Mukherjee, executive director of the non-profit hospital, said they have treated 4.5 lakh patients in the OPD clinics since the hospital started in 2016. About 30,000 patients were admitted to the hospital.

“Less than 10% of patients from our OPD clinics were admitted to the hospital. We have avoided unnecessary hospitalisation, which goes on to prevent unnecessary expenses for families,” said Mukherjee, also the secretary of Liver Foundation that developed the hospital.

Abhijit Chowdhury, a hepatologist and chief mentor of Liver Foundation, said besides fatty liver diseases, children also suffer from malnutrition, parasitic infections and some congenital liver diseases.

“These need specialised and directed care. An adult gastroenterologist is not trained to deal with a child. There is a demand and availability gap for paediatric gastro specialisation,” said Chowdhury.

Doctors said even adolescents are treated by paediatricians. Nearly one-third of India’s population is now made up of those who go to a paediatrician for treatment, said a doctor.