Bariatric surgery

Abstract

Adolescent obesity is reaching near-epidemic proportions in the United States, lagging behind but following the trend of adult obesity. In some regions, nearly 40% of adolescents are obese, and many are developing severe obesity-related comorbid conditions that result in a reduced quality of life and can be progressive and life-threatening. Although nutritional counseling and behavioral modification programs have been moderately successful for overweight and obese children in the younger age groups, medical management appears to be less effective in the adolescent and young adult populations. It is estimated that up to 80% of obese teenagers will go on to become obese adults, with a pattern of continued weight gain as they enter adulthood. Bariatric surgery has been demonstrated to be a safe, effective and durable weight-loss method in adults, but its widespread application in the pediatric population remains controversial. Nevertheless, data increasingly show a similar safety and efficacy in adolescents. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.