Bariatric Surgery, Medical Weight Loss, and the Upper Aerodigestive Tract.

Obesity and intentional weight loss increasingly influence otolaryngologic disease through mechanical, metabolic, inflammatory, gastrointestinal, and regional soft-tissue effects. This review examines how bariatric surgery and contemporary medical weight-loss therapies affect the upper aerodigestive tract. Evidence is strongest for obstructive sleep apnea, in which substantial weight reduction improves disease severity but does not ensure remission. Emerging data suggest potential benefits for chronic rhinosinusitis and selected voice outcomes, alongside risks such as procedure-specific reflux, chronic cough, delayed gastric emptying, nutritional complications, and patulous Eustachian tube dysfunction. Otolaryngologists should incorporate the weight-loss method, magnitude, rate, and durability into evaluation, counseling, and perioperative planning.