While the number of adolescents who are overweight or obese has decreased in recent years, the number of morbidly obese (obese patients who are candidates for bariatric surgery) has increased in the U.S. According to data, it increased from 5.2 to 10.2 and almost doubled from 1999 to 2014. 12 to 19% of all adolescents face this disease. As a result, more and more doctors and parents are faced with a difficult question: should overweight teenagers need bariatric surgery? Is a radical surgery the only treatment that produces permanent weight loss in the severely obese?
University of Minnesota "In this field, we are of the opinion that the only viable solution for these children is surgery, but we do not know the long-term results," said Aaron Kelly, MD, an expert in pediatric obesity at . ” and the idea scares many parents and physicians.
The best data come from two recently published small studies that included results over just five years. Scientists say there is an urgent need for more ambitious research.
The question for teens and their parents is: Should they accept the long-term health risks from surgery or the serious health risk from obesity?
Dr. Kelly notes that approximately three to four million adolescents in the U.S. are severe enough to meet criteria for bariatric surgery. However, approximately 1,000 young people undergo surgery annually, and while many medical centers avoid operating on young obese patients, many doctors also mention their severely obese patients.
Obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, acid reflux, fatty liver and It causes many problems, such as high cholesterol levels, that tend to be alleviated by surgery and pose serious health risks in young people. The difficult question that parents and doctors need to answer here is: can the risks of surgery be more acceptable, or can the problems caused by obesity be more acceptable?
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