While one in three obese adolescents (33% to be precise) has at least three cardiovascular risk factors before undergoing bariatric surgery, they are only 5% to present these risks in the three following the operation. This significant reduction in the overall likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease later in life argues in favor of this type of operation to treat adolescents with severe obesity.
An effective long-term surgical operation
These figures are the result of a study conducted in 5 clinical centers in the United States by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and the National Institutes of Health (NHS) of the United States.
Early findings demonstrate that bariatric surgery performed during adolescence may have lifelong benefits by altering the likelihood of the future development of adverse cardiovascular events, including the development and progression of glucose metabolism, atherosclerosis, heart failure and strokes.
“There may be benefits to undergoing bariatric surgery earlier, even in teenagers“, said Prof. Michalsky, professor of clinical surgery and pediatrics at Ohio University School of Medicine. The study demonstrates that the benefits of surgery are greater for girls and for those who were younger at the time of the operation.
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