Children as young as 10 undergoing hip replacements because they are obese

Children as young as 10 are undergoing hip replacements because they are obese, official figures have revealed.

Data from NHS Digital showed that hip and knee replacements due to weight have been on the rise among young adults and middle-aged people.

Ten children aged between 10 and 19 have had hip replacements because they are overweight since 2014.

The total number of knee and hip replacements among obese patients has seen a nearly 60 per cent hike in the past three years to 37,352.

Two more obese children between 10 and 19 had knee replacements, the NHS figures showed.

The figures come after NHS data showed that obesity among children starting school has risen to 9.6 per cent of children in 2016-17, from 9.3 per cent the previous year, according to The Telegraph.

By the time they reach age 10 and 11, 20 per cent are obese, 2016/17 statistics showed.

In addition, 86 people in their 20s had hip replacements and 11 had new knees due to weight‑related damage, the Express reported.

Tam Fry, chairman of the National Obesity Forum told the Express the figures were "tragic".

Mr Fry said: “Teenagers are still growing and their growth plates are not fused, so a replacement is extremely serious for them.

“Without surgery they might be crippled.

“Obesity is not only causing an increased risk of cancer, heart disease and diabetes but also serious weight‑related joint damage.

“The cost of the obesity epidemic could bankrupt the NHS.”

Professor Philip James, former president of the World Obesity Federation, said surgeons would have to "rethink how to cope with increased numbers of patients".

He told the Express: “I predict this problem will continue to escalate.

“Obesity rates are rising and the first thing that develops is back and joint pain.

“The wear and tear on joints from obesity is phenomenal."

The figures also showed a sharp rise in obesity-related joint replacement surgery among middle-aged adults.

The number of men and women between 40 and 64 having hip replacements due to obesity has risen almost 20 per cent in the past three years to 4,452.

Obesity-related knee replacements also rose by almost 50 per cent in the same age group to almost 8,690, the Express reported.

In the same time period, the number of pensioners over 65 having weight-related hip replacements has almost doubled to 8,906, while the number having weight-related knee replacements has risen by 54 per cent to 14,269.

The total number of knee and hip replacements among those classified as obese has spiked from 23,847 in 2014/15 to 37,352 last year.