Recommendations of Pharmacological Treatment inChildhood and Adolescents Obesity

Jeong, Su Jin

Abstract

The incidence of childhood obesity has increased dramatically. Childhood obesity is an increasing health problem because of its strong associations with chronic health problems in children and adults. These health problems significantly contribute to the development of common chronic diseases in later life, including hypertension, type2 diabetes, hyperinsulinemia, coronary heart disease, and other psychological disorders. So it is an important issue to prevent and treat obesity during childhood and adolescent. Diet and exercise are the cornerstones of treatment for obesity and related complications. For obese children, some clinical trials have shown improvement with diet, exercise, and /or behavioral interventions. Promising interventions for high-risk individuals, such as bariatric surgery and novel pharmacological agents, also require rigorous assessment with attention to long-term patient important outcomes. There are various pharmacological approaches to the treatment of obesity in the adolescent population some of which have FDA approval. In the article we discuss pharmacological approaches to guide the treatment of obesity in the pediatric population, including risks of treatment, monitoring of potential side effects.