Effects of Body Weight on Middle Ear Disease.

Body weight can have various effects on middle ear health. Pediatric obesity is associated with an increased risk and recurrence of otitis media with effusion. Adult obesity is associated with an increased risk of temporal bone cerebrospinal fluid leak and encephalocele, and weight loss can cause symptoms of patulous Eustachian tube dysfunction. With rising rates of obesity and widespread adoption of glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists, it is increasingly important that patients are appropriately counseled on how weight changes affect the middle ear. In this review, we examine the literature on middle ear diseases and their association with body weight.