Gastric bypass for teens - a risky weight loss surgery

Gastric bypass for teens - long term effect is unknown

There was a time when drastic surgery for obesity was considered to be suitable only for adults. However, it has now in rare cases been performed on  adolescents. Gastric bypass surgery shrinks the stomach to the size of an egg. And whether such an operation would have long-lasting side effects is unknown, some families have found it an effective solution.

According to a rough estimate, around 15% of youngsters are obese. The ones who have been unsuccessful in pulling down through diet and exercise are turning to the GBS. Roughly, over 100,000 adults undergo gastric bypass procedures annually. However, there are no exact figures as to how many children have undergone the surgery. An informal survey carried out sometime back of 600 group members revealed that 10 had done surgeries on children and that the results were positive.

The surgery lasts several hours as the lower stomach and first part of the small intestine (duodenum) is closed off. The jejunum is then attached directly to the egg-sized pouch formed by the upper part of the stomach. Then, the small intestine is reconnected to the lower section of the small intestine to ensure that the digestive juices help digestion. Given the shrunk size of the stomach the intake will go down resulting in weight loss. Another reason for the loss in pounds is the reduction of nutrient absorption due to bypassing the duodenum.

According to a report in Pediatrics (November 2002), the long-term effects of gastric bypass surgery on adolescents is not known. Some believe that the surgery has caused nutritional deficiencies in adults. Many in the field of research also fear that due to the surgery children may not get the required calcium intake during the time peak bone mass occurs between the age of 15 and 17 years.

Hardly any research is available on the criteria as to how much a child should weigh or how old a youngster should be before surgeons of the minors are willing to proceed with the operation. Most doctors are not in favor of subjecting youngsters to elective surgery that's so extreme. However, for some children in rare cases who have exhausted all options like exercise and diet unsuccessfully, surgery may be the only viable alternative.

According to an Associated Press article, adolescents who have had gastric bypass surgery are “required to eat no more than a cup of food a few times daily, but must avoid sugar, which can cause symptoms including nausea, rapid heartbeat and stomach bleeding after the surgery”. And experts say their lives have turned around in a miraculous fashion as they’ve started leading a normal life leaving all the ridicule which they were subjected to behind.

Experts also believe that families opting for these surgeries should be told about the risks and consequences well in advance and understand the extreme nature of the procedure and lifetime adjustments that are required afterwards.

Sources:
Associated Press
Tanner, Lindsey. More children elect to have surgery for obesity. The Herald-Sun (Durham, NC) 4 November 2002
Research by Dr. Sue Y.S. Kimm of the University of Pittsburgh and researcher Eva Obarzanek of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.