Obese teens could get gastric bands on NHS

Published on Saturday 1 November 2008 18:51

OBESE teenagers in Scotland will be given drastic stomach operations under new guidelines for doctors.

Gastric band surgery is to be included in NHS advice on how to manage serious weight problems in youngsters.

The move follows a massive rise in the number of overweight children in Scotland, which is close on the heels of the US. There, experts are warning of a new generation of youngsters dubbed "super obese", with body mass indexes of more than 50, or around 200lbs overweight.

Dr David Wilson – consultant in gastroenterology and nutrition at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh, and the co-chair of the expert group writing the new NHS guidelines – said Scots doctors are now dealing with adolescents with type-two diabetes because of their weight, a situation unheard of as recently as seven years ago.

So far, at least three Scottish teens are said to have been fitted with gastric bands, thanks to bariatric surgery, which significantly decrease the amount of available room in the stomach and limit appetite.

Around one third of Scottish teenagers aged 13 to 15 are overweight and 10% are obese. But figures could rise, as some 21% of primary school children are overweight.

Previous NHS guidance did not mention obesity surgery. The move is contained in draft guidelines set to be formally approved later this year. Wilson said: "It's not just the number of children who are moving from normal weight, to overweight, to obesity, but the number who are moving to massively obese. It is that group which is worrying. That group not only has health problems in their future, but health problems now."

In the US, more than 1,000 morbidly obese youngsters underwent bariatric surgery last year. A number of celebrities have also undergone the operation, including presenters Fern Britton, Sharon Osbourne and Anne Diamond.

The draft guidelines, published by the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network, say surgery should only be considered for severely obese teenagers who are post-puberty, and who have other serious health problems because of their weight. All other options, including diet, exercise and anti-obesity drugs, should have been tried without success before surgery becomes an option. The patient must also be looked after by a specialist team and have the operation as part of a long-term plan.

Dr David Haslam, clinical director of the UK's National Obesity Forum, said: "It's alarming but there are kids who are so fat that surgery is the only option."

Dr Dean Marshall, chairman of the British Medical Association's Scottish GP Committee, added: "There is not a huge amount of evidence behind bariatric surgery for teenagers and that would be a concern."