Cochlear affection in obese children

Objective: - Overweight and obesity are defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health. Obesity can influence the whole body, including Ear, owing to mega inflammation.The primary target of this research is to detect minor changes in the hearing of obese children by Otoacoustic Emission (OAE) and High Frequency Audiometry (HFA). Patients and Method:- The current study is prospective that done at otorhinolaryngology clinic of Minia University Hospital, the study sample was divided into two subgroups, their age range from 6 to 17 years. The control group consisted of 20 children with average weight, while the experimental group consisted of 58 obese children. Both groups had no history of systemic or immunological diseases that affect their hearing. There were no history of hearing loss, delayed speech and language development or consanguinity . Both groups were subjected to Measurement of transient evoked otoacoustic emission, Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emission (OAE), and High-Frequency Audiometry (HFA) Results: :- As regard of the audiological evaluation, there is no statistically significant difference between the two groups in the Pure Tone Audiometry (PTA) in all frequencies (from 0.25 to 8). HFA revealed a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05) between the two groups in 20000 HZ frequency.Transient OAE shows a statistically significant difference (P < 0.001) between both groups, while DPOAE shows no statistically significant difference between both groups as all ears were normal in the response. Conclusion: - Obesity is not a simple disease, but it impairs the high-frequency portion of the cochlea, early detection of any subtle affection of the cochlea must be detected, and screening of obese children is mandatory even if there is no complaint of hearing diminution.