Wielopolska Joanna, Górnostaj Klaudia, Olejnik-Wojciechowska Joanna, Kawczyński Maciej, Radomska Katarzyna, Petriczko Elżbieta
Department of Pediatrics, Endocrinology, Diabetology, Metabolic Diseases and Cardiology, University Clinical Hospital No. 1, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, 71-215 Szczecin, Poland.
Student Science Club KOLAR, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, 71-215 Szczecin, Poland.
Children (Basel). 2024 Dec 11;11(12):1509. doi: 10.3390/children11121509.
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Obesity is a chronic disease characterized by pathological accumulation of adipose tissue. The exponentially increasing number of children with severe obesity draws attention to the tragic consequences of the lack of, or inadequate treatment of, obesity in this age group. This article aims to present ways of preventing obesity and ways of treating its complications in order to reduce the risk of the life-threatening problems caused by it.
The first patient was a 9-year-old boy with Prader-Willi syndrome, severe obesity, obstructive sleep apnea, hypertension, status post myocarditis, and recurring episodes of desaturation up to 70-80%. Respiratory support using continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and two-level positive airway pressure (BiPAP) were included in the treatment and the resolution of desaturation was observed. The second patient was a 5-year-old girl with simple obesity, obstructive sleep apnea, and subclinical hypothyroidism, hospitalized for sudden cardiac arrest, most likely caused by excessive fat tissue compressing the airway. Despite the introduced treatment, tracheostomy, and tonsillectomy, the girl remained unconscious during hospitalization and in the rehabilitation clinic, where she spent 7 months in a coma. Currently, her health is slowly improving as her weight significantly decreases. In both cases, serious consequences were observed due to non-adherence to dietary recommendations, lack of regular medical check-ups, and failure to implement appropriate treatment.
Obesity can lead to life-threatening consequences, including respiratory arrest and a need for respiratory support, if proper treatment is not administered and if medical recommendations are not followed.
背景/目的：肥胖是一种以脂肪组织病理性堆积为特征的慢性疾病。重度肥胖儿童数量呈指数级增长，这让人们关注到该年龄组肥胖治疗不足或缺乏治疗所带来的悲惨后果。本文旨在介绍预防肥胖的方法及其并发症的治疗方法，以降低其引发的危及生命问题的风险。
首例患者是一名9岁男孩，患有普拉德-威利综合征、重度肥胖、阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停、高血压、心肌炎病史以及饱和度反复降至70%-80%的情况。治疗包括使用持续气道正压通气（CPAP）和双水平气道正压通气（BiPAP）进行呼吸支持，并观察到饱和度恢复正常。第二例患者是一名5岁女孩，患有单纯性肥胖、阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停和亚临床甲状腺功能减退，因突然心脏骤停住院，很可能是由于过多脂肪组织压迫气道所致。尽管采取了治疗措施、进行了气管切开术和扁桃体切除术，但该女孩在住院期间以及康复诊所一直昏迷，在昏迷状态下度过了7个月。目前，随着体重显著下降，她的健康状况正在慢慢改善。在这两个病例中，均观察到由于未遵循饮食建议、缺乏定期体检以及未实施适当治疗而导致的严重后果。
如果不进行适当治疗且不遵循医学建议，肥胖可能导致危及生命的后果，包括呼吸骤停以及需要呼吸支持。
