Stewart Rendon, MD, director of metabolic and bariatric surgery at Loma Linda University Medical Center in California, said many teens could qualify for bariatric surgery, according to a Press-Enterprise report.
Dr. Rendon, who performed gastric bypass surgery on a 19-year old who then lost 100 pounds within a year, said children ages 13 or 14 who weigh 350 and 400 pounds need access to surgery because being overweight is more detrimental to their health than the risks of surgery.
He noted that many obese teenagers who struggle with their weight and suffer from conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes would probably be acceptable surgery candidates if they were adults.
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