Children as young as 11-years-old are now eligible to get Intragastric balloon surgery in Abu Dhabi after the month of Ramadan. 

The procedure is available at Abu Dhabi’s government hospital, Sheikh Khalifa Medical City at the hands of gastroenterologist Dr. Ahmad Jazzar.

Usually children between the ages of 13 and 16-years-old are eligible but other children whose weight is between 88kgs and 127kgs can be considered for this procedure. 

The weight loss procedure

Losing up to 10 to 15% of the body weight, patients will undergo the weight loss procedure that involves the insertion of a thin loaded balloon tube down the patient’s throat.

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After which the saline filled balloon is placed in the patient’s stomach. 

How it works 

This non-invasive procedure will help make the patient feel much fuller and has a result of up to 15% of body weight loss over a course of six months. 

It can be removed three to 12 months after the procedure. 

Side-effects 

While the procedure itself claims not to have any side-effects, some patients may experience nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain during the first few days. 

Other extreme cases involve the dislodging of the balloon, but patients can detect this early on if their urine turns blue as the balloon has a hint of blue dye.

With more than 34% of obese children in the UAE, this procedure is said to tackle the obesity problem in the country

For anyone considering this for their children, the procedure is not covered by insurance and can cost up to AED15,000. 

Read: This Is Worrying – UAE Named As One Of The Fattest Countries In The World