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Obesity Guide
The Advisability Of Gastric Bypass Surgery In Teens
Gastric bypass surgery performed for the problem of obesity in teens has risen in recent years but still represents only a small fraction of the total number of weight loss surgeries performed every year.
Surgeons are concluding more and more that many obese teenagers will eventually require surgery and that it would perhaps be better to perform this sooner rather than later. However, most surgeons are also concerned about the safety of gastric bypass surgery in teenagers and over the longer-term effects of carrying out surgery at such early ages.
A study known as the Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery study (LABS) was launched in 2003 to look into the risks and benefits of bariatric surgery in severely obese adults and approximately 4,000 patients have been enrolled in a series of short-term and long-term studies. Results have not yet been published as the study is still underway and is expected to continue into 2008.
A new study has now been launched as an extension of this original study, which has been called the Teen-LABS study, and which will examine the risks and benefits of bariatric surgery in teenagers from the age of 14 to 19. The study will also consider younger patients if they meet the strict criteria of the study.
Teen-LABS is designed to examine adolescent patients being treated at hospitals in Cincinnati, Birmingham, Pittsburgh and Houston and will take on a total of about 200 patients over the next 5 years.
The study's aim is to assess the risks and benefits by comparing data collected from the 200 teenagers enrolled in the study with that of a similar number of adult bariatric patients who have suffered from obesity since their teenage years. It will thus compare the outcome of performing surgery in the teenage years to that of waiting until patients reach adulthood before carrying out surgery.
The study will examine data collected pre-operatively and in the two years after surgery including not only body mass index (BMI) but also such things as body fat, the presence of sleep apnea, depression, signs of diabetes, nutrition, eating habits, the quality of life and a great deal more.
The problem of obesity in teens is growing alarmingly and, despite the fact that we will have to wait some time for the results of this new study to be published, it is certainly a step in the right direction in tackling this problem.
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