Complications of bariatric surgery (weight loss surgery) may be rarer in adolescents than adults, a new study suggests.
Esteban Varela, MD, MPH and colleagues performed the study. Varela is a surgery assistant teacher at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.
Although bariatric, bariatric surgery for teenagers seems to be "so safe" regarding adult weight loss surgery, writing varela and colleagues.
They reviewed data from 55.501 people who received bariatric surgery between 2002 and 2006 in 97 academic medical centers of 97 U.S.
The vast majority of patients were adults. However, 309 patients were 12-18 years.
About 2% of young people were moderate or high-risk risk compared to about 6% of adult patients.
There are several types of bariatric surgery. In this study, most patients have gastric bypass surgery, including 94% of adults and about 70% of adolescents.
During the gastric bypass operation, the surgeon creates a smaller stomach bag that holds less food than a normal stomach. The food passes from the bag, ignoring part of the small intestine, for the rest of the digestive system.
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In the study of Varela, most patients - young or old - had no complications of their weight loss surgery.
Complications of bariatric surgery occurred in 5.5% of adolescent patients, compared with almost 10% of adult patients. The study does not include details about these complications.
The study does not mean that bariatric surgery is free from problems for adolescents. Weight loss surgery can have complications at any age.
Your doctor can help you weigh the risks of bariatric surgery and provide lifestyle tips for life after weight loss surgery.
The study of Varela, presented yesterday in San Diego in the American Society of Annual Assembly of Bariatric Surgery, only included operations carried out in certain academic medical centers. In January, a government study showed that more than 121,000 bariatric surgeries were made at U.S. In 2004, including 349 operations carried out in young people aged 12 to 17 years.
