Benefits Of Weight-Loss Surgery In Adolescents
MedPage Today, 19th November 2009
Obesity is a serious problem nowadays. Wrong diet and lack of exercise mean it becomes even more frequent and concerns not only adults but also children and adolescents. In the past, only adult patients were eligible for bartiatic surgery but the severity of obesity has increased so much that now even young patients can have this possibility.
Children with body mass of over 50 kg/m2 and the ones with BMI of over 40 kg.m2 and serious comorbidities qualify for weight-loss surgery.
Latest studies carried out by Holly Ippisch, MD of Cinnati Children.s Hospital, show that weight-loss surgery helped teenagers to lose weight and to improve their health.
The improvements were seen as quickly as six months after the procedure.
In the research 87 children took part. All of them underwent batriatic surgery. The average postoperative BMI was 58 kg/m2. Six months after the operation, the BMI improved to 41 kg/m2. After another two years it improved even more to 38 kg/m2. The patients have lost an average of 38% of their body weight.
As soon as six months after the procedure, there were improvements in left ventricular mass and diastolic function. The prevalence of normal left ventricular geometry increased from 51.7% to 80.7% by six months. Also heart rate and systolic blood pressure improved significantly
