Study Proves Bariatric Surgery Can be Safe and Effective for Teens
Historically, pediatricians have been reluctant to utilize bariatric surgery for teens in Texas due to concerns over its safety and effectiveness for this age group. A study led by Rutgers has concluded that for adolescents with persistent, severe obesity bariatric surgery is justifiable, provided the patient can maintain a healthy lifestyle after surgery. Lead author Ahmed Khattab, a physician at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School's Division of Pediatric Endocrinology reports: "If we look at obesity as a disease with the real possibility of eventual organ system failure and special health concerns for adolescents, we need to ask whether health care practitioners are doing enough to manage it. The objective evidence shows that, under the right circumstances and with the right patients, bariatric surgery is an effective treatment for adolescents with obesity ." Bariatric surgery in teens is shown through studies to be associated with the remission of