Obese children to have their stomachs stapled

May 15 2008 by Liza Williams, Liverpool Daily Post

MERSEYSIDE children could soon face drastic weight loss surgery in a battle against the region’s spiralling obesity problem, according to a hospital chief.

Children as young as two admitted to Alder Hey are being classed as obese, and for the first time teenagers are developing diseases such as type two diabetes, normally seen in people 30 years their senior.

The hospital has already started issuing sleep apnea masks to children for the first time.

Medical director at the hospital, Steve Ryan, says he is “almost certain” bariatric surgery – which includes measures such as stomach stapling – will be performed on youngsters within the next few years.

The procedures are currently only performed on adults when other options have failed and the surgery can often lead to complications.

But Dr Ryan thinks that, for some children, it may be the best option: “In the not too distant future, I think we will be starting to consider surgery on children who are grossly overweight.

“In adults, it is one of the things that can be very effective indeed, but it is a drastic step.

“Clearly you are not going to dive in and do that for children without a lot of careful consideration – but it would be an option.

“When you look at the risks of surgery and the risks of carrying on with the way things are, it may be worth it.

“We have not performed any procedures yet, but a hospital like this one would probably be asked to.

“It is pretty likely, in fact I would say almost certain.”

Dr Ryan says the number of overweight children coming to the hospital has risen dramatically over the last 10 years, which is having dire health effects on the population.

“There are more and more overweight children and significant numbers of these children are obese from a very young age, two to three years old.

“When I was a paediatrician starting out in 1991, there were very few children overweight but that has changed and we are starting to see complications resulting from this.

“For instance, adult-type diabetes, which is diet-related.

“It is hugely common in people over 50 but we are starting to see it in teenagers – this is a huge worry.

“When I started, that just did not happen.

“We are also starting to see breathing difficulties in overweight children.

“They are suffering from conditions that usually only affect adults, such as sleep apnea, which requires sufferers to wear a mask over their nose or mouth at night. For the first time, we are having to give these masks to children.

“It is here and we are having to deal with it.”

Liverpool PCT recognises the seriousness of obesity within the region and recently published a strategy to help address the issue.

Plans include making schoolchildren do at least two hours of PE a week, giving healthy eating advice to daycare services for children and increasing the size of the city’s weight management service.

Dr Paula Grey, joint director of public health for Liverpool Primary Care Trust and Liverpool City Council said: “Being obese or overweight can lead to serious health problems such as heart disease, diabetes, cancers and strokes.

“The threat is now so serious that for the first time in 200 years young people are at serious risk of dying before their parents.

“Obese children and young people are much more likely to become obese adults and the longer someone remains obese, the greater the risk to their health.

“Adults who are obese and overweight are also much more likely to have children who are also overweight or obese so decisive action is really needed to break these negative cycles.”

OPINION: PAGE 10

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