Obesity Surgery Under 18
The definition of obesity in children is different from that of adults. For this definition, BMI (Body Mass Index) percentile curves have been developed according to age and gender. According to these curves, BMI is defined as overweight if it is above the 85th percentile for age and gender, and as obese if it is above the 95th percentile.
- low birth weight
- Early transition to bottle feeding (early weaning from breast milk)
- Maternal factors (smoking, diabetes, overweight during pregnancy, high BMI)
- Children who develop very rapidly between 3 months and 2 years of age
- Obese individuals among relatives are risk factors for childhood obesity.
Common Ailments in Obese Children
- Heart diseases (especially high blood pressure)
- Diabetes resistance and Type 2 diabetes
- fatty liver
- Sleep Apnea Syndrome
- Polycystic Ovary Disease
- Depression
Suitable Candidates for Bariatric Surgery Under 18
- 1-BMI is over 35
- type 2 diabetes
- severe fatty liver
- Severe sleep apnea syndrome (with an apnea-hypopnea index above 15)
- Those with pseudotumor cerebri
2-BMI Over 40
- sugar resistance
- Hypertension
- Dyslipidemia (high cholesterol and triglyceride)
- Depression
- Bariatric surgery can be applied to those with mild and moderate sleep apnea syndrome (with an apnea-hypopnea index above 5).
Obesity surgery should not be performed because it may adversely affect height growth under 13 years of age in girls and under 15 years of age in boys. When we look at the publications, it has been seen that the rates of getting rid of co-morbidities related to obesity and weight loss in the group under the age of 18 who have undergone bariatric surgery are better than those of adult patients who have undergone surgery. In obese patients under the age of 18, gastric sleeve and gastric bypass are mostly performed as bariatric surgery.
