title: Bariatric surgery for severely obese adolescents.
abstract: Severe obesity is increasing in adolescents and is associated with cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, obstructive sleep apnoea, polycystic ovarian syndrome and a range of musculoskeletal problems. Premature death is the inevitable outcome of persistent severe obesity in adolescents. In adults with severe obesity, medical and lifestyle interventions have been shown to be expensive and less effective in terms of weight loss than has bariatric surgery. The single completed randomised controlled trial in adolescents shows the same outcome. This is supported by meta analyses of bariatric surgery in adolescent subjects. A more aggressive approach to severe obesity, utilising bariatric surgery in selected cases, within the context of a multi-disciplinary team, is required.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Sydney Medical School, Discipline of Paediatrics & Child Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Electronic address: Dominic.fitzgerald@health.nsw.gov.au.
authors.forename: Dominic A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Fitzgerald
authors.affiliation: Sydney Medical School, Discipline of Paediatrics & Child Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Weight Management Services, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Baur
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D050110:Bariatric Surgery; D006801:Humans; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000601:surgery*
keywords: Adolescents; Bariatric surgery; Co-morbidities; Follow-up; Premature death; Severe obesity; Weight management