Muscat: Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a rare genetic condition that affects a child’s metabolism and causes changes to their body and behavior, leading to multiple problems, including obesity and obstructive sleep apnea.

According to Dr. Muhammad bin Saeed Al Abri, consultant in obesity and upper gastrointestinal surgery at the Royal Hospital, the decision to perform the operation was taken after several meetings by a multidisciplinary team to reach the optimal path for the child’s condition, which includes representatives from the departments of surgery in anesthesia and endocrinology, respiratory, mental health, nutrition, and intensive care.

Explaining about the Prader-Willi Syndrome, Dr. Hussein bin Murtada Al Lawati, Consultant in Pediatric Respiratory Diseases at the Royal Hospital, explained that this syndrome is considered a rare genetic disorder whose symptoms appear at an early age. Excessive obesity as a result of a constant feeling of hunger is one of the most important symptoms of this disease, and leads to multiple problems, including obstructive sleep apnea, which the patient who underwent the operation suffered from.

He stated that the first step in treating these interruptions is to use a breathing aid device during sleep, which often helps reduce the severity of the attacks, in addition to other weight loss treatments that go hand in hand with the treatment of apnea. He also added that due to the patient’s persistent and severe symptoms, which led to his admission to intensive care several times, the team assigned to treat the child decided to resort to a surgical intervention to reduce weight.

Speaking on the topic of childhood obesity, Dr. Al Abri noted that the gradual treatment of obesity for children begins with non-surgical solutions such as medications and lifestyle regulation, provided that a surgical solution is resorted to in the event that other solutions for weight loss are ineffective.

He pointed out that reports show that the rates of overweight and obesity among males and females in the Sultanate of Oman have increased significantly. In 1975, only 7.2 percent of males and 7.4 percent of females suffered from obesity; currently, 34.2 percent of males and 30.2 percent of females are overweight, with obesity percentages reaching 16.1 percent for males and 13.3 percent for females.

He pointed out that global estimates indicate that about 40 million children under the age of five suffer from overweight or obesity, noting that in the Sultanate of Oman, for example, obesity rates among children increases in the early stages of education, with the largest increase recorded during the period from first grade to seventh.

He stated that unhealthy eating habits is a key factor in childhood obesity, which may expose them to a high risk of modern diseases such as diabetes and other serious diseases during adolescence.