Why are adolescents with obesity and diabetes not having bariatric surgery earlier?

Adolescent obesity is a growing problem with nearly 17% of adolescents in the United States and 15% in Europe affected. This rise in obesity has been accompanied by a rapid growth in the numbers also being diagnosed with T2DM with an increase of nearly 30% between 2001 and 2009[1]. The implications of obesity and specifically T2DM in adolescents are particularly concerning given the apparent acceleration of the disease process with early loss of β cell function accompanied by worsening glycaemia and earlier end organ damage compared to adults with a similar duration of disease[2, 3].
Source: Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases - Category: Surgery Authors: Source Type: research