Relationship between pediatric obesity and otitis media with effusion.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the relationship between pediatric otitis media with effusion and obesity, as determined by body mass index (BMI) (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) and serum triglyceride (TG) and total cholesterol (TC) concentrations.


METHODS
A prospective, nonrandomized, case-control study.


METHODS
University-affiliated hospital.


METHODS
The experimental group comprised 155 children aged 2 to 7 years, who received unilateral or bilateral ventilation tube insertion for the treatment of otitis media with effusion. The control group comprised 118 children with no history of otitis media with effusion, who underwent operations for conditions other than ear diseases. Based on BMI and serum TG and TC concentrations, we divided the experimental group into 2 subgroups, those who were and were not obese.


METHODS
We determined the difference between the experimental and control groups in BMI and serum TG and TC concentrations and the difference between the obese and nonobese subgroups in frequency of ventilation tube insertion.


RESULTS
Mean +/- SD BMI (22.0 +/- 3.4 vs 16.3 +/- 2.4) (P = .01) and mean +/- SD TC level (195.0 +/- 31.0 mg/dL vs 159.3 +/- 26.9 mg/dL [5.05 +/- 0.80 mmol/L vs 4.13 +/- 0.70 mmol/L]) (P = .04), but not mean serum TG level (109.4 +/- 40.4 mg/dL vs 90.0 +/- 52.3 mg/dL [1.24 +/- 0.46 mmol/L vs 1.02 +/- 0.59 mmol/L]) (P = .13), were significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group. Frequency of ventilation tube insertion, however, did not differ significantly between the obese and nonobese subgroups, whether divided by BMI (P = .10) or serum TG (P = .12) or TC (P = .07) concentration.


CONCLUSIONS
Childhood obesity may be associated with the occurrence of otitis media with effusion.
Kim
Jong Bin
JB
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea.
Park
Dong Choon
DC
Cha
Chang Il
CI
Yeo
Seung Geun
SG
D015992:Body Mass Index; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008876:Middle Ear Ventilation; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications*; D010034:Otitis Media with Effusion / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric