Severe obesity in minors is more likely to have a medical cause than expected, researchers at Erasmus MC-Sophia Children’s Hospital and Amsterdam UMC report on Tuesday. According to them, this is true for 20 percent of children who are severely obese, while about 5 percent is said in medical literature.
According to the two physician researchers, the difference can be explained by the fact that so much attention has not previously been paid to the possible underlying medical causes.
In the Netherlands, approximately eighteen thousand children are severely obese. Almost three hundred of them participated in the investigation. With various tests and measurements, the underlying causes of their overweight have been identified.
Many different rare hereditary conditions have been identified. “In these children, the cause of obesity is really in the genes,” the researchers said. “In other children, drug use or previous brain damage were the main cause of their high weight.”
The treatment of some children was adjusted after the study. Some participants were given medicines they were not eligible for before.
“In some children who are severely obese, it may make sense to look for an underlying medical cause for which to start targeted treatment,” said researcher Lotte Kleinendorst. “In addition, such a diagnosis provides a lot of understanding of the environment. This can provide support for children and their parents.”
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