Child obesity and anaesthetic morbidity.
OBJECTIVE
To knock down the following myths: obesity in paediatric patients is rare and mainly a North-American problem; obesity in childhood has no long-term harmful effects. To sensitize the anaesthesiologists to a problem seldom addressed in the anaesthetic literature.


RESULTS
Recent medical information concerning the incidence and pathophysiology of obesity in paediatric patients is summarized.


CONCLUSIONS
The early manifestations of the comorbidities associated with obesity in adults are already present in overweight and obese children and should be addressed for their safe anaesthetic management. Perioperative respiratory events seem more frequent in overweight and obese patients.
Veyckemans
Francis
F
Department of Anesthesiology, St Luc University Hospital, Brussels, Belgium. veyckemans@anes.ucl.ac.be
D000367:Age Factors; D000768:Anesthesia, General / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods; D000776:Anesthesiology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D015995:Prevalence