Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Obesity is increasing in prevalence in younger people, including children and adolescents. Bariatric surgery (BS) is well-established and efficacious treatment for morbid obesity in adults. BS is being performed in younger age groups more frequently.

Objective: To describe outcomes of BS under the age of 25 in Emirati individuals having follow-up at Imperial College London Diabetes Centre (ICLDC).

Methods: Patients recruited for the Abu Dhabi Diabetes and Obesity Study - 2B (ADOS2B) who had BS below age 25 were included in this study. Relevant data were collected at the time of recruitment or extracted from ICLDC patient database. Follow-up period was up to 5 years. Results are presented as median (IQR).

Results: 107 (56.3% female) patients included in the study (n = 866) underwent BS under age 25yrs [21.8 (20.0-22.8)]; 98 had sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) and 9 Roux en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB). Maximum weight loss was achieved between 18-24 months (Figure 1). Weight loss (%) post-BS between the LSG and RYGB patients were comparable [36.4 (30.7 - 42.6) V 36.7 (32.5 - 37.5), P = 0.884]. Men lost more weight compared to women [40.1 (33.6 - 46.7) V 34.9 (29.1 - 38.3), P<-001]. Similar weight loss (%) observed between under 19 and 19-25 yrs [37.5 (33.2 - 40.8) V 36.4 (30.7 - 46.4), P = 0.997]. Diabetes remission at 2 years post-BS was observed in 10/12 patients with type 2 diabetes. Pregnancy post-BS in 3 patients was uneventful except for the need for iron infusion to tackle anaemia.

Conclusions: A significant group of individuals with morbid obesity are opting for BS which is effective for weight loss, weight loss maintenance, and diabetes resolution. Lifestyle measures need to target paediatric population to prevent need for BS at an early age.