Pharmacological interventions for the treatment of obesity in children and adolescents - PubMed
3 hours ago
- #Pediatrics
- #Obesity
- #Pharmacotherapy
- Pharmacological treatments like GLP-1 agonists, metformin, orlistat, sibutramine, phentermine, and topiramate may lead to small reductions in BMI and weight in adolescents with obesity, though evidence is of low certainty.
- Adverse events are frequent, but pharmacological interventions likely make little to no difference in the risk of any adverse events compared to placebo, based on moderate-certainty evidence.
- The evidence on benefits and harms in children is limited due to few studies enrolling children and lack of age-disaggregated data.
- Pharmacological interventions likely result in little to no difference in quality of life compared to placebo, as assessed by the IWQOL questionnaire.
- Uncertainties remain regarding optimal treatment duration, long-term effects, and consequences of treatment discontinuation, highlighting the need for longer-term studies.