Should severly obese adolescents be given the option of bariatric surgery?

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Severe obesity in adolescents is continually increasing, making it more important to discover ways to help them lose weight and avoid potential health complications. Bariatric surgery shows to improve many health outcomes for adults who are obese and may show similar benefits for adolescents who are obese.

The first step in receiving surgical interventions for weight loss is obtaining a referral, but nearly half of doctors who have been surveyed state they would never refer an obese adolescent for bariatric surgery. The other half of these doctors surveyed stated their minimum age to refer a patient for this surgery is 18.

Experts within both the United states and Britain have reviewed studies performed on the obesity epidemic and have recommended that bariatric surgery only be considered for children who are severely obese and have not been successful at losing weight using methods that are non-invasive. Only the most severe obese children need to be given the option of surgery.

Scientists are advising health care providers and parents to encourage changes in lifestyle such as in increase in exercise and changes in lifestyle for those children who are suffering with obesity before they resort to drastic measures, such as weight loss surgery.

The risks of bariatric surgery can be great and the effectiveness and long-term safety in children remain unknown. Doctors worry whether the benefits will outweigh the risks. How long an adolescent will sustain the loss of weight and what psychological outcomes will be seen are questions still being explored.

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Tech Jackal

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