ROME (ITALPRESS) – “Obesity among adolescents is rising sharply. The main cause: too sedentary life. Teens spend too many hours in front of PCs, smartphones and tablets and devote little time to physical activities.” So says Luigi Piazza, director of the Department of Surgeries at the Arnas Garibaldi Hospital in Catania, where there is one of the hub centers in Sicily that deals with obesity.The facility has also received confirmation from Sicob (Italian Society of Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Diseases) that it is one of the major centers of bariatric surgery in Italy. In a letter, signed by President Giuseppe Navarra, the Arnas Garibaldi was classified as a ‘center of excellence,’ confirming the recognition it has had since 2006. “The recognition,” explains Luigi Piazza, “rewards, first of all, Sicilian health care that, thanks to the foresight of the Sicilian Region, has created centers of excellence within the ‘obesity network.’ Then it is clear that the work of health care professionals is rewarded. The medical protocols put in place have been able to give positive answers to the many problems related to obesity. State-of-the-art equipment and great professionalism allow us to offer a service with a high scientific and clinical profile. Users appreciate and witness the 250 cases that are treated each year in the General Surgery Unit at Arnas Garibaldi in Nesima. This is another example of good health care. “The Arnas Garibaldi,” explains the general director, Beppe Giammanco, “is still confirmed as a point of reference in Sicily. A regional excellence that represents a boast for our healthcare. For years now, patients with major obesity have found multidisciplinary care in our facility, with tested and advanced clinical pathways. Kudos go to all the staff. The recognition is a further incentive to do more and better. “Several criteria led to the confirmation of the center as ‘Italian bariatric excellence’: multidisciplinary team of the department of medicine, directed by Lucia Frittitta, to ensure proper patient selection. (Precise diagnostic-therapeutic and care pathways are followed in compliance with national guidelines and total framing from a nutritional, endocrinological and psychological point of view.); team capable of performing all bariatric and revisional surgical procedures in laparoscopy and robotics; a volume of operations exceeding 200 cases per year; a follow-up of operated patients of more than 5 years regularly entered and updated in a national registry; the presence, within the company, of an intensive care unit, directed by Giuseppe Calabrese, an operative endoscopy, directed by Domenico Catarella, and an interventional radiology, directed by Giuseppe Giordano, as a further guarantee of safety for users.Statistics regarding patients treated certify that the age range is from 30 to 50 years. The largest percentage is female, but it should be noted that men manifest more serious diseases associated with obesity, such as, for example, cardiovascular diseases. But there is another worrying fact: obesity in adolescence. “In recent years,” Piazza continues, “we have noticed an increase in weight problems in boys and girls, mainly caused by poor eating habits and lack of physical activity. In this sense, an awareness campaign involving general practitioners and pediatricians, schools and, of course, families would be desirable.”
– photo Garibaldi press office Catania -(ITALPRESS).
