Heavy kids may be more likely to need ear tubes

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Obesity may increase the likelihood that a child will need to have tubes inserted in the ears to drain fluid, to prevent the recurrence of chronic middle ear infection, South Korean researchers report.

Otitis media with effusion, or middle ear inflammation with the collection of fluid in the area, usually improves without treatment, but if the fluid does not go away on its own, a child may need to have drainage tubes placed in their ears.

Middle ear infection is becoming increasingly common, while overweight and obesity among kids is also on the rise, Dr. Jong Bin Kim of Kyung Hee University in Seoul and colleagues note in their report.

To determine if excess weight might be associated with an increased risk of middle ear infections with fluid, they compared a group of 155 children, 2- to 7-years old, who had ear tubes inserted to treat middle ear infections, with 118 children who had no history of middle ear infection, were undergoing surgery for other reasons.

The average weight in the middle ear infection group was significantly higher than in the group without middle ear infection, Kim's team found. These children also had higher cholesterol levels, but their triglyceride levels were not elevated.

However, when the researchers compared the frequency of tube insertion between the obese and non-obese groups, they found no significant difference.

Nevertheless, the researchers conclude, the study "suggests that childhood obesity could have an effect on the development of middle ear infection with fluid."

SOURCE: Archives of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, April 2007.