Capital hospital to offer gastric balloons to obese children

Abu Dhabi’s main government hospital will offer intragastric balloon surgery to tackle obesity in children as young as 11.

Gastroenterologist Dr Ahmad Jazzar, who started the programme, will begin offering the procedure at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City after Ramadan.

It will be the first time the hospital has provided such weight loss procedures to children and adolescents.

The procedure involves inserting a thin tube, which holds a balloon, down the throat. It is placed into the stomach and filled with saline solution.

The balloon makes the patient feel fuller than they normally would after food and typically leads to a loss of about 10 to 15 per cent of body weight over six months. It is usually removed after three to 12 months.

Before joining the hospital, Dr Jazzar performed more than 500 intragastric balloon operations, with his youngest patient being an 11-year-old girl.

“What we care about is that the child is fully developed,” he said, explaining that the girl had started menstruating.

The procedure does not have significant side effects, Dr Jazzar said, but in the first few days there could be some nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.

Gastric balloons are usually only fitted in obese adults but a state-run hospital in Yorkshire in the UK ran trials for children several years ago.

Children weighing between 88 kilograms and 127kg, about double the average weight of a child aged 13 to 16, were eligible for the procedure there.

Recent studies suggest that about 34 per cent of children in the UAE are classified as obese or overweight. There are more than 41 million overweight or obese children worldwide and it is estimated that the epidemic will reach 70 million children by 2025.

Increasing rates of obesity in children would suggest an increase in adolescent weightloss procedures but Dr Jazzar said that high prices get in the way. Intragastric balloons are not covered by insurance and can cost up to Dh15,000 at private hospitals.

In the US, in accordance with Food and Drug Administration regulations, adolescents must have a body mass index of more than 35 to qualify for a procedure such as this.

But Dr Jazzar said that as long as “the patient really needs it”, they can have the procedure.

While considered to be reasonably safe, if the balloon is dislodged and passes into the gut it can cause an obstruction that could lead to problems.

“It is very rare for the balloon to rupture, and it usually happens if it is left too long,” Dr Jazzar said.

“That is why we put a blue dye in the balloon, so if it ruptures their urine will turn blue and the patient would see and call their physician immediately to remove the balloon before it passes through the intestines.”

There are different types of intragastric balloons and they vary in how long they last, while some can be swallowed instead of being inserted. All will be offered by the hospital.

“You choose what you want. There are balloons that last three months, six months and 12 months,” Dr Jazzar said.