Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Apr 7;34(5):613-618.
doi: 10.1515/jpem-2020-0714. Print 2021 May 26.

Liraglutide combined with intense lifestyle modification in the management of obesity in adolescents

Louise J Apperley  1 , Lucy Gait  2 , Karen Erlandson-Parry  3 , Peter Laing  1 , Senthil Senniappan  1
Affiliations

Liraglutide combined with intense lifestyle modification in the management of obesity in adolescents

Louise J Apperley et al. J Pediatr Endocrinol Metab. .

Abstract

Objectives: Childhood obesity is a public health concern worldwide, with rates continuing to rise, despite preventive measures. Lifestyle modification remains the mainstay in the treatment of patients with excessive weight, but unfortunately, this is not always successful. Options for medical management of obesity in the paediatric population are limited.

Methods: Seven adolescents (all girls, mean age 14.9 years) with a body mass index (BMI) above 98th percentile and serious complications secondary to obesity were offered an intense weight management programme. The participants were reviewed by a multidisciplinary team every two weeks for advice and support, and treated with daily subcutaneous injections of liraglutide (dose range 1.2-3.0 mg). Scores for anxiety and depression were evaluated using the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale.

Results: The results showed a significant weight loss over the three months with an average reduction of 5.4 kg (4.2%; 95% CI 1.93-8.78; p=0.0087). The mean drop in BMI was 2.1 kg/m2, which is statistically significant (95% CI 0.973-3.199; p=0.0037). Resolution of complications (raised intracranial pressure and steatohepatitis) was noted following weight loss. Anxiety and depressive symptoms improved over the three-month intervention course, especially features of separation anxiety disorder. Liraglutide was well tolerated by all patients.

Conclusions: Liraglutide medication, alongside a dedicated multidisciplinary team guided lifestyle therapy, is effective and safe in the treatment for excessive weight in adolescents, leading to the reversal of the complications related to obesity and improvement in the psychological symptoms.

Keywords: adolescent; childhood obesity; liraglutide; weight loss.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. England PH. Public health profiles; 2020. Available from: https://fingertips.phe.org.uk.
    1. Kumar, S, Kelly, AS. Review of childhood obesity: from epidemiology, etiology, and comorbidities to clinical assessment and treatment. Mayo Clin Proc 2017;92:251–65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2016.09.017.
    1. NICE. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Obesity in children and young people: prevention and lifestyle weight management programmes. Quality standard [QS94]; 2015.
    1. Bacha, F. FDA approval of GLP-1 receptor agonist (liraglutide) for use in children. Lancet Child Adolesc Health 2019;3:595–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2352-4642(19)30236-6.
    1. Oberle, MM, Kelly, AS. It is time to consider glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in youth. Front Endocrinol 2019;10:738. https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2019.00738.

LinkOut - more resources