Stomach stapling for obese and diabetics

Thu, 15 May 2008
According to a recent report in a Liverpool newspaper, children in Merseyside may soon have the options of dramatic weight loss surgery . The area has a substantial obesity problem, and corresponding increases in type 2 diabetes levels.

Childhood obesity, although not a new phenomenon, is becoming increasingly prevalent in the UK, with the Liverpool area a particular hotspot. Bariatric surgery, commonly known as stomach stapling, may soon become a treatment option for the juvenile obese .

Bariatric surgery is currently performed on adults as a last resort option. For some children, top experts at the Alder Hey hospital say, it could represent the best treatment option.

Steve Ryan, the medical director at the hospital, was reported as commenting: "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."

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