Bariatric Surgery in Adolescents

摘要

Bariatric surgery is the term used for any surgical procedure intended to promote weight loss. Many health professionals view this procedure as a viable avenue to addressing a serious health condition in obese adults who have struggled to lose large amounts of body weight. Though the surgery is not without risks, it does reduce the comorbidities of obesity. Some severe co-morbidities of obesity include type 2 diabetes mellitus, heart disease, obstructive sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, and psychosocial issues. Bariatric surgical procedures are on the rise, with the number of surgeries increasing from about 16,000 in the early 1990s to over 100,000 in 2003, and it is also becoming more prevalent among adolescents. The comorbidities of obesity are also present in many young adolescents, and although they often remain silent during this age, they can become life threatening in time. However, a recent controversy has emerged concerning the appropriateness of bariatric surgical procedures for young adolescents. Bariatric surgery is not cosmetic surgery, and the increase in this major gastrointestinal surgical procedure among adolescents has raised some important social and health issues. It is critical that school nurses, counselors, health educators, and other school personnel who work with adolescents have an understanding of this controversial procedure and the issues involved.