Relationship between chronic otitis media with effusion and overweight or obesity in children

• Published in: Journal of laryngology and otology 2017-10, Vol.131 (10), p.866-870
• Main Authors: Kaya, S, Selimoğlu, E, Cureoğlu, S, Selimoğlu, M A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adenoid; Age; Asthma; Body mass; Body Mass Index; Body weight; Child; Child, Preschool; Children; Chronic illnesses; Cytokines; Ear diseases; Eardrum; Ears & hearing; Effusion; Female; Gastroesophageal reflux; Hearing loss; Humans; Hypertrophy; Main Articles; Male; Obesity; Obesity - epidemiology; Otitis media; Otitis Media with Effusion - complications; Otolaryngology; Overweight; Overweight - epidemiology; Pediatrics; Risk factors; Tonsil; Tumor necrosis factor-TNF
• ISSN: 0022-2151; 1748-5460
• DOI: 10.1017/S002221511700161X

Otitis media with effusion and obesity are both common in childhood and might share some immunological alterations. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between chronic otitis media with effusion and childhood overweight or obesity, including the potential effects of adenoid or tonsillar hypertrophy on that relationship. This study included 60 children with chronic otitis media with effusion and 86 healthy children aged from 2 to 10 years. Measures of height and weight were used to calculate the body mass index, weight for height and weight z score. The prevalence of overweight or obesity was higher in children with chronic otitis media with effusion, according to the weight for height percentiles (p = 0.012). However, neither the presence of adenoid or tonsillar hypertrophy nor the degree of adenoid hypertrophy was associated with overweight or obesity. Overweight and obesity might be risk factors for developing chronic otitis media with effusion, or vice versa.