by Playfuls Staff |
6th March 2007
The number of American children turning to obesity surgery has tripled over the past several years.
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Weight-loss surgery was initially meant for adults and was a last resort solution. As this type of surgery has become increasingly popular with grown-ups, so it has with children and teenagers.
A new study shows that between 2000 and 2003, the pace of youngsters having such operations tripled. According to an analysis of data on 12- to 19-year-olds who had obesity surgery from 1996 through 2003, an estimated 2,744 youngsters nationwide had the operations.
By 2003, some 771 surgeries took place each year. Younger patients seem to be at a lower risk when undergoing obesity surgery, including shorter stays in the hospital and no deaths, as opposed to adults.
The study conducted by researchers at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, N.J., and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center appears in Monday's Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
Study co-author Dr. Thomas Inge considers that the new study suggests the benefits outweigh the risks for most patients. It leaves unanswered questions though, including how teens adapt to their new condition after leaving the hospital.
According to Inge, adolescents are more vulnerable than adults from a psychological point of view and obesity surgery poses risks as many teens are already struggling with identity issues. Rapid weight loss after surgery can catapult them "into situations that they didn't really imagine before," he said.
The Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center will start a large-scale five-year study examining how children respond to various types of weight-loss surgery, medically and psychologically.
Children are considered candidates for surgery only if conventional methods, applied over a period of six months under hospital supervision, bring no improvement. Exercise can sometimes be a problem for obese children, as physical effort puts a strain on their already deteriorated hearts.
Once children reach the level of morbid obesity, they usually become obese adults. Persons suffering from obesity, whether children or adults, may experience depression and low self esteem, as well as stigmatization from peers.
Obesity is a serious risk factor for illnesses such as high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, diabetes mellitus type 2. It has also been linked with hernia, urinary incontinence, menstrual disorders, osteoarthritis, and asthma.
