10-YEAR-OLDS GET NEW HIPS IN GREAT BRITAIN (Orthopedics This Week)
Because of the obesity epidemic in Great Britain, surgeons are performing hip replacements on children as young as ten, according to statistics from the National Health Service (NHS) Digital.
The data reveals that in the past three years, the total number of obese people needing joint replacements has risen by almost 60% to more than 37,000. The rise has been driven by young adults who require surgery because of the strains placed on their joints by excess weight.
Daniel Perry, Ph.D., FRCS (Tr & Orth), a consultant orthopedic surgeon at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool, said: "Obesity is the primary risk factor. Around 500 adolescents in the UK suffer from this problem every year, with most them being overweight or obese.
"All children affected by SCFE [slipped capital femoral epiphysis] require prompt surgery to stabilize the hip with a screw. In some cases, the hip may be so damaged that a hip replacement becomes necessary soon after the primary surgery, with many more gradually worsening, necessitating a hip replacement early in adulthood."
Recent NHS data showed that 9.6% of children are dangerousl...
