Pediatric Obesity: Complications and Current Day Management

Abstract

Obesity affects approximately 1 in 5 youth globally and increases the risk of complications during adolescence and young adulthood, including type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertension, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, obstructive sleep apnea, and polycystic ovary syndrome. Children and adolescents with obesity frequently experience weight stigma and have an impaired quality of life, which may exacerbate weight gain. Pediatric obesity is typically defined using sex-, age-, and population-specific body mass index percentiles. Once identified, pediatric obesity should always be managed with lifestyle modification. However, adolescents with obesity may also benefit from anti-obesity medications (AOM), several of which have been approved for use in adolescents by the US Food and Drug Administration, including liraglutide, phentermine/topiramate, and semaglutide. For children with specific, rare monogenic obesity disorders, setmelanotide is available and may lead to significant weight loss. Metabolic and bariatric surgery may be used for the management of severe obesity in youth; though highly effective, it is limited to specialized centers and has had relatively low pediatric uptake. In this narrative review using pediatric-focused data from original research, reviews, clinical practice guidelines, governmental agencies, and pharmaceutical companies, we review obesity-related metabolic complications in youth and management strategies, including AOM and bariatric surgery.

Keywords: PCOS; anti-obesity medications; bariatric surgery; dyslipidemia; hypertension; obesity; obstructive sleep apnea; pediatric; type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Figure 1

Timeline of US Food and Drug Administration approval for the use of weight-loss pharmacotherapy in pediatric patients with obesity, with minimum approved age and mechanism of action for each. GLP-1 RA, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist; POMC, pro-opiomelanocortin; PCKS1, proprotein subtilisin/kexin type 1; LEPR, leptin receptor; BBS, Bardet–Biedl Syndrome; SQ, subcutaneous.