Because morbid obesity in adolescents shortens life expectancy up to 40 years, in the Mexico´s Children Hospital "Federico Gómez" (HIMFG by its initials in Spanish) of the Ministry of Health headed by Dr. José Narro Robles, a bariatric surgery is performed to those who are candidates, which prevents complications and early death, informed the medical director of this hospital, Jaime Nieto Zermeño.
He indicated that morbid obesity (body mass index greater than 35) is associated with serious diseases, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, dyslipidemias, cardiac, neurological, renal, spinal and joint deformation, among others, which is why young people aged 11 to 17 years with this condition have risk factors as if they were 75 years old.
In the last six years, HIMFG has performed 14 successful surgeries, through the method known as gastric sleeve - cutting and extraction of 80 percent of the stomach, which has allowed people under 18 to lose up to 40 kilos.
In an interview, Dr. Nieto Zermeño stressed the importance of applying this procedure, because it is the only alternative for a teenager with morbid obesity.
However, not all are candidates for bariatric surgery, only one in 40 patients treated in the hospital is proper for this procedure.
The specialist explained that children, along with their parents are practiced psychological, psychiatric, exercise routines and dietary controls. Mainly to ensure that they have an attachment to treatment and follow a balanced diet.
"We prepare them and put them to the test. When the family and the patient do not respond, we do not operate them." In this process, he said that family support networks are important to have results.
Dr. Nieto Zermeño indicated that the first year after surgery, young people lose at least 60 percent of excess weight, and there is more participation of women than men.
He said that the multidisciplinary group is integrated by the services of Gastroenterology, Nutrition, Allergy, Pediatric Surgery, Endocrinology, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Psychiatry, Psychology, Social Work, Nephrology and Cardiology, among others.
The specialist said that more people die from diseases associated with obesity than influenza, hence the need to raise awareness among society of the adverse health effects caused by this problem, and recommended to parents to limit their children in what refers to diet and physical activity.
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