Morbid Obesity in Adolescents

As the worldwide prevalence of morbid obesity among adolescents continues to rise, recent years have seen a large increase in the performance of adolescent bariatric surgery. While surgical intervention often becomes necessary when conservative weight-loss therapies have failed, no standards regarding the post-operative regimen and long-term management of adolescent patients have been established. Thus, the treatment of obesity and its co-morbidities requires a multidisciplinary approach, taking into account epidemiological, clinical, nutritional and genetic aspects of morbid obesity in the pediatric age group. This volume discusses both conventional therapy and surgical options for morbid obesity in the pediatric age group. In the first part, obesity-related diseases, genetics and psychological factors are analyzed. The second part focuses on current bariatric surgery procedures, including dietary restrictions and guidelines to prevent nutritional deficiencies common after surgery. Therefore, the book will prove an invaluable resource for pediatricians, surgeons, nutritionists, dieticians and all other health professionals who treat adolescent obesity.