DUBAI // Children as young as 12 are being booked in for weight-loss surgery by their parents, doctors say.
And while statistics are difficult to come by because of patient confidentiality and privacy laws, doctors say they are seeing increasing numbers of young people being brought in for such operations.
Dr Gabi Wazz, specialist obesity surgeon at Dr Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Centre, said he operated on a 12-year-old girl who weighed 140 kilograms.
But Dr Wazz said the girl had six months of counselling before the operation, and that adolescents should only turn to surgery in extreme cases.
“We did not operate on her lightly,” he told an obesity discussion panel at Dubai Healthcare City last week.
Dr Girish Juneja, a bariatric surgeon at International Modern Hospital in Dubai, said more parents were requesting weight-loss surgery for their children.
“I’m operating on a lot of adolescents nowadays,” Dr Juneja said.
But he said he did not operate on children younger than 15, and that most patients were at least 16.
Childhood obesity can lead to hypertension, type 2 diabetes, orthopaedic problems, sleep apnoea and psychosocial problems, said Dr Alaeddin Saghir, consultant endocrinologist and diabetologist at Abuhammour Medical Centre.
Children and adolescents often experience depression, low self-esteem, bullying and learning problems, Dr Saghir said.
It can also lead to an abnormal amount of cholesterol and fat in the blood, and heart and liver disease.
Weight-loss or bariatric surgery involves removing part of the stomach or inserting a gastric band to reduce its size.
There is a 0.5 per cent risk of mortality, so doctors must consider the health risks of the surgery against those from obesity.
Dr Wazz said psychosocial problems were a valid reason for weight-loss surgery in extreme cases of obesity.
Dr Fuad Ahmed, a bariatric surgeon at Burjeel Hospital in Abu Dhabi, agreed.
“One child told me that when she goes into the classroom they are afraid of her because she is so big,” Dr Ahmed said. “They are rejected by society.
“They are looked at differently. They don’t like to socialise or go out for activities. Some are confined to their room.”
As with adults, bariatric surgery can radically change patients’ lives, he said.
Dr Ahmed said the number of people overall seeking surgery for weight loss has increased, but he was cautious about describing a trend without specific data, saying most of his patients were in the 20 to 40 age group.
Body mass index (BMI) is measured differently in adults and children. Adults with a BMI above 30 are considered obese, while children and adolescents are considered obese if their BMI is above the 95 percentile for their age and gender.
People who are obese are often blamed by others for their problem, even though they may be seeking surgery because diet and exercise have not worked, or they suffer from metabolic problems, Dr Ahmed said.
“Their lives change completely after surgery and not only in their appearance,” he said. “It’s not a cosmetic surgery, it’s a treatment.”
A study last year of 1,400 Emirati pupils in Grades 1 to 12 in Abu Dhabi found 34 per cent of them were overweight.
The highest percentage was among those aged between 11 and 15, at 40.1 per cent, followed by 39 per cent of the 16 to 19 age group, then 22.8 per cent of those aged between 6 and 10.
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Director: Todd Phillips
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
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Director: Rohit Shetty
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What should do investors do now?
What does the S&P 500's new all-time high mean for the average investor?
Should I be euphoric?
No. It's fine to be pleased about hearty returns on your investments. But it's not a good idea to tie your emotions closely to the ups and downs of the stock market. You'll get tired fast. This market moment comes on the heels of last year's nosedive. And it's not the first or last time the stock market will make a dramatic move.
So what happened?
It's more about what happened last year. Many of the concerns that triggered that plunge towards the end of last have largely been quelled. The US and China are slowly moving toward a trade agreement. The Federal Reserve has indicated it likely will not raise rates at all in 2019 after seven recent increases. And those changes, along with some strong earnings reports and broader healthy economic indicators, have fueled some optimism in stock markets.
"The panic in the fourth quarter was based mostly on fears," says Brent Schutte, chief investment strategist for Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company. "The fundamentals have mostly held up, while the fears have gone away and the fears were based mostly on emotion."
Should I buy? Should I sell?
Maybe. It depends on what your long-term investment plan is. The best advice is usually the same no matter the day — determine your financial goals, make a plan to reach them and stick to it.
"I would encourage (investors) not to overreact to highs, just as I would encourage them not to overreact to the lows of December," Mr Schutte says.
All the same, there are some situations in which you should consider taking action. If you think you can't live through another low like last year, the time to get out is now. If the balance of assets in your portfolio is out of whack thanks to the rise of the stock market, make adjustments. And if you need your money in the next five to 10 years, it shouldn't be in stocks anyhow. But for most people, it's also a good time to just leave things be.
Resist the urge to abandon the diversification of your portfolio, Mr Schutte cautions. It may be tempting to shed other investments that aren't performing as well, such as some international stocks, but diversification is designed to help steady your performance over time.
Will the rally last?
No one knows for sure. But David Bailin, chief investment officer at Citi Private Bank, expects the US market could move up 5 per cent to 7 per cent more over the next nine to 12 months, provided the Fed doesn't raise rates and earnings growth exceeds current expectations. We are in a late cycle market, a period when US equities have historically done very well, but volatility also rises, he says.
"This phase can last six months to several years, but it's important clients remain invested and not try to prematurely position for a contraction of the market," Mr Bailin says. "Doing so would risk missing out on important portfolio returns."
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg result:
Ajax 2-3 Tottenham
Tottenham advance on away goals rule after tie ends 3-3 on aggregate
Final: June 1, Madrid
MATCH INFO
France 3
Umtiti (8'), Griezmann (29' pen), Dembele (63')
Italy 1
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
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Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
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About Housecall
Date started: July 2020
Founders: Omar and Humaid Alzaabi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech
# of staff: 10
Funding to date: Self-funded