Bariatric Surgery in Adolescents: Long-Term Outcomes and the Consent Conversation

Authors

  • Stefan Kuhnert Department of Bariatric Surgery, Westphalian Institute of Obesity Medicine, Munster, Germany Author
  • Ioana Stoica Department of Paediatrics, Oltenia Institute of Diabetes Care, Craiova, Romania Author
  • Joseph Camilleri Centre for Clinical Ethics, Valletta Metabolic Centre, Valletta, Malta Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22261625

Keywords:

Adolescent bariatric surgery, Long-term outcomes, Nutritional deficiency, Informed consent, Severe obesity

Abstract

Ten-year outcomes are now available for adolescents who underwent bariatric surgery in a prospective multicentre cohort of 161
gastric bypass and 99 sleeve gastrectomy patients operated at a mean age of 17, with 83 per cent of ten-year visits completed.
Body mass index fell by 20.6 and 19.2 per cent respectively, and modelled remission at ten years was 55 per cent for type 2
diabetes, 57 per cent for hypertension and 54 per cent for dyslipidaemia. The diabetes figure exceeds what has been reported in
adults at comparable follow-up. The obligations are equally durable. At three years, 57 per cent of the same cohort had low
ferritin, 35 per cent low vitamin B12 and 16 per cent low vitamin A, and intra-abdominal reoperation over five years was more
frequent in adolescents than adults. This review sets out the published outcomes and the arguments made about consent, without
offering a view on whether any individual should undergo surgery.

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Published

2026-08-27

How to Cite

Bariatric Surgery in Adolescents: Long-Term Outcomes and the Consent Conversation. (2026). Journal of Clinical Diabetes and Obesity, 6(1), 31-36. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22261625