Can Too Much Weight Cause Ear Infections in Kids?

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Two American ear, nose and throat specialists said they weren't impressed with the South Korean study.

Dr. Jack Paradise, professor of pediatrics and otolaryngology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, said one "glaring" problem was that the researchers weren't comparing similar groups of children to each other. Among other things, he said, the study didn't look at the socioeconomic levels of the children -- a major factor in the development of ear infections -- or factors like exposure to other children or the season of the year -- infections are more common in winter.

Paradise added that it's difficult to generalize medical trends by simply looking at hospital records, because there are so many factors that affect whether children have tubes put in their ears. These can include everything from parents' sensitivity to their children's symptoms to accessibility of health care, he said.

Dr. David Darrow, of Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters in Norfolk, Va., noted that the study authors never offered a theory about why obesity might be connected to ear infections. The research "lacks a physiological explanation for the conclusion," he said.

In fact, said Paradise, a connection between obesity and ear infections is "not biologically plausible."

However, Dr. Jordan S. Josephson, an otolaryngologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City and author of Sinus Relief Now, said it's possible that childhood obesity may be associated with ear infections.

"Obesity, as we know, causes people to have a large appearance outwardly, but what most people do not realize is that when people gain weight, their internal spaces get crowded by the bulk of the weight that we put on," he said in a prepared statement. "That means that their eustachian tubes that drain their ears are narrowed, and that can lead to otitis media with effusion. Even worse, as the diameter of their nose and airway is reduced, these people can develop snoring and sleep apnea."

In an interview, study co-author Yeo said some research has suggested a link between obesity and inflammation, and that could be a possible cause. But he acknowledged that the possible connection between obesity and ear infections remains to be explained.

More information

For more on middle ear infections, visit the Nemours Foundation.