8-year-old Mumbai girl, weighing 39kg, has second bariatric surgery to treat obesity

Taj khatun, Zoya Khan’s mother, said that as Zoya was growing up, she started consuming food once every half hour. “By the time she was six, she already weighed 20-25kg.

Eight-year-old Zoya Khan, weighing 39 kg, on Friday underwent a revision bariatric surgery, said the doctors from the Mumbai-based Surana Group of Hospitals, terming her “the youngest in the world to undergo this operation”. The surgery, used to treat obesity, involved restricting the part of the stomach that gives rise to hunger.

According to Zoya Khan’s mother, as Zoya was growing up, she started consuming food once every half hour. (iStock / Representative Image)

The doctors that treated her believe that the surgery will result in a weight loss of 5-6kg within a span of 15-20 days. “It was a one-of-its-kind case and we will publish the report in an international medical journal. We will also provide the patient lifelong treatment free of cost,” said Dr Prince Surana, chief executive officer (CEO), Surana Group of Hospitals.

Zoya weighed 19 kg at 11 months. At the time, she had undergone a bariatric surgery.

According to her mother, Taj khatun, Zoya lost 3 kg two months after the surgery. However, she had to recently undergo a revision surgery after failing to control her weight.

Taj khatun said that as Zoya was growing up, she started consuming food once every half hour. “By the time she was six, she already weighed 20-25kg. From that year onwards, her weight started to increase rapidly. She was unable to move or sleep and suffered from other health complications, so we admitted her to Nair Hospital,” said Taj khatun.

Taj khatun explained how Zoya’s obesity interfered with her schooling.

“Because Zoya had difficulty moving, no school was ready to admit her. Her father [Yusuf] used to carry her to her tuition classes for her primary education,” she said.

Zoya was shifted from Nair hospital at the behest of Surana.

“I approached Samajwadi Party leader Rais Shaikh, who has knew social workers at Nair Hospital. Through him, we asked the treating doctors if Zoya could be transferred to our facility,” said Surana.

Dr Mohit Bhandari, head of bariatric surgery, who headed the team, said that at the time of admission, Zoya’s body mass index (BMI) was 35 and she consumed 2,600 calories a day - six times that of an average eight-year-old. “She had severe sleep apnea, pulmonary hypertension [high blood pressure that affects arteries in the lungs and heart] and fatty liver. We performed a CT scan and endoscopy to realise that her stomach had dilated to the size of an adult stomach,” said Dr Bhandari.

The team of doctors ruled out the option to conduct a gastric bypass surgery, which involves changing the size of the stomach to reduce food intake. They said it could have led to micro-nutrient deficiency.

“Since medication for weight loss is not approved by the food and drug administration (FDA) in paediatrics, we had no option but to perform a banded sleeve gastrectomy. The surgery restricted the part of the stomach that gives rise to hunger,” said Dr Bhandari.

The team has also roped in a nutrition expert who will consult Zoya on her dietary intake following the surgery.