A pediatrician involved in creating new treatment guidelines for obese children in Canada says an “alarming” rise in obesity has led to a greater need for surgery for teens whose mental and physical suffering typically worsens into adulthood.
Dr. Melanie Henderson, a pediatric endocrinologist and researcher at Sainte-Justine Hospital in Montreal, said guidelines expected to be published later this year will go beyond obesity determination measures such asbody mass index to include kids' overall quality-of-life experiences.
She said there's greater acceptance that medication and bariatric surgery should be offered early as options for a subset of children because obesity is a chronic disease versus a risk factor for other illnesses. “We used to think that obesity in childhood wasn't a big deal, that they'll outgrow it,” she said. “But in fact, that's been disproven. So, very young children grow up to be adolescents with obesity and adults with obesity.”
A class of drugs called GLP-1 agonists are given by injection, and have been approved for use in children aged 12 and up, said Henderson, adding they are probably the best option in reducing hunger but cost almost $400 a month. “If we get five kids a year undergoing surgery, which probably represents about 10 per cent of the patients that are referred to us, that would be a big amount,” Erdstein said, adding an operation is offered after two years of behavioural intervention.
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