the relationship between obesity and otitis media with effusion in children

Introduction:otitis media with effusion (ome) is a widespread condition affecting children globally. this study aimed to assess the relationship between obesity in pediatric populations and the risk of developing ome.materials and methods:this retrospective observational study was performed in 2020 at khalili and dastgheib hospitals, affiliated with shiraz university of medical sciences in shiraz, iran. the study included all children aged 2 to 15 years with a confirmed ome diagnosis. participants in the non-ome group were chosen from children who did not have ome.results:a total of 148 healthy individuals were included in the non-ome group, while the ome group comprised 110 patients. statistical analysis revealed that the mean age (p=0.040), weight (p<0.001), height (p=0.024), bmi (p=0.023), and bmi percentile (p=0.023) were significantly greater in the ome group compared to the non-ome group. additionally, there was a higher proportion of males in the ome group (63.6%) compared to the non-ome group (44.0%), with this difference being statistically significant (p=0.001). logistic regression analysis indicated that factors such as older age (p=0.023), male gender (p=0.001), and elevated bmi percentile (p=0.004) were significantly associated with the presence of ome.conclusion:this research indicates that there is a correlation between obesity and a heightened risk of ome.