12-year-old boy weighs 135kg due to excessive eating, which leads to pancreatitis

A 12-year-old boy who is in sixth grade in Taichung has loved to eat since he was a child, and he likes to play video games and not exercise. As a result, he eats more and exercises less. He is now 175 cm tall, weighs 135 kg, and has a BMI of over 40. He went to the hospital for abdominal pain a few days ago. Tests revealed that his pancreatic enzyme level was too high. He was diagnosed with morbid obesity and acute pancreatitis. He was rushed to the intensive care unit for drainage surgery, which saved his life.

Doctors urge parents to pay more attention to their children’s weight and not let them eat too much!

Chen Anqi, chief physician of the pediatric gastroenterology department of the China Medical University Hospital, said that the boy had developed symptoms of morbid obesity because his BMI value exceeded 40. Not only do they walk unsteadily and their knee joints are easily damaged, but they also suffer from high blood pressure. At the beginning of last year, I went to a general clinic for treatment due to abdominal pain. After taking gastrointestinal medicine for 2 days, there was no improvement at all, and the pain became worse and worse, so I went to the emergency room for help. After drawing blood, it was found that the pancreatic enzyme index was as high as over 800 and the pancreatic fat index was over 2000, and morbid obesity combined with acute pancreatitis was diagnosed.

It is understood that the boy returns home from school every day, has a big meal and finishes his homework, then immerses himself in the world of video games, eating snacks while playing. When I was in school, I never left my smartphone. I loved to go to the canteen to buy sweets after class. I also seldom exercised. Over time, my weight exceeded the body's carrying capacity, leading to morbid obesity. Obese people are already at high risk of pancreatitis, and this time the boy's pancreatitis is severe and the situation is even more critical.

Dr. Chen Anqi pointed out that acute pancreatitis caused the boy to experience multiple organ failures and he repeatedly narrowly passed the mortality rate threshold of over 90%. The condition was finally brought under control through invasive treatments including multiple radiation and abdominal drainage to remove the fluid accumulated around the pancreas. During his hospitalization, the boy could only rely on a nasogastric tube to maintain nutrition and could not eat and drink as much as usual, so he lost about 10 kilograms. He was arranged to undergo gastric reduction surgery, and his weight dropped to 99 kilograms, which was considered a successful weight loss.

Chen Anqi, chief physician of the pediatric gastroenterology department of the China Medical University Hospital, pointed out that the boy in the case was morbidly obese, which led to acute pancreatitis and abdominal suppuration. (Photo courtesy of China Medical University Hospital)

Children’s obesity problems are usually treated with behavioral and dietary treatments, and medication is generally not recommended. The boy in the case had morbid obesity due to being overweight, so he needed gastric reduction surgery. On the one hand, it reduced his appetite, and on the other hand, it also reduced the absorption of calories, thus achieving the goal of losing weight. Obesity and its resulting medical problems have become a global crisis. Parents should pay more attention to their children's obesity problems and avoid excessive indulgence that may cause health hazards.

The National Health Administration also recently released statistics indicating that the proportion of overweight and lack of exercise among adults in Taiwan is the highest in Asia, with half of men, one-third of women, and one-quarter of children being overweight or obese. Obesity is caused by a combination of genetic, environmental and behavioral factors. Dr. Anqi Chen said that there are currently genetic tests for obesity that help understand a person's physical constitution; pediatricians and nutritionists can also provide behavioral and dietary treatments to help deal with abnormal body postures. Parents are advised not to let their children indulge in static activities, but to cultivate their habit of regular exercise.