Weight loss surgery among adolescents (aged 11-17) is becoming
increasingly common in Europe and the US, but is still rare among Asian
patients. According to estimates from U.S. News and World Report, about
1,500 to 2,000 teenagers receive bariatric surgery in the US each year,
out of an estimated 180,000 overall cases including adults. In Asia,
statistics show a monu
mental rise in
child obesity: 46 million children were characterised as obese and 300
million described as overweight in China alone, according to a 2014
study. Meanwhile, in Malaysia, often described as Southeast Asia’s
‘fattest’ country, over a quarter of children were reported to be
overweight or obese. In light of this trend, Global Health and Travel
asked bariatric surgeons across the region if they see weight loss
surgery as a viable, safe option for dangerously obese teenagers who
cannot lose weight by conventional means.
At the moment in Hong Kong, the guidelines for bariatric surgery
currently exclude patients who are under 18. We have had, in the past, a
few cases that we did surgery for adolescents, but they were under
experimental trial settings in university hospitals.
Recently
there’s been quite a bit more attention in particular from the US, in
performing bariatric surgery for obese children or adolescents, with
some pretty good results. However, the current consensus is that it’s
not really for the average bariatric surgeon to apply this in Asia yet.
Currently there are just a few operations that have been studied for
adolescents, like laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, laparoscopic gastric
band, and gastric bypass. There are, of course a whole range of other
surgeries that are available, but they might not be suitable for
adolescents.
Reference information:
http://www.obesitysurgery.com.hk/english.htmlThe information aims to provide educational purpose only.
Anyone reading it should consult Surgery Specialist before considering treatment and should not rely on the information above.
