Those in the OME group had a higher body mass index (BMI), on average, and higher cholesterol levels. BMI is a measurement that relates height and weight and is used as a marker of obesity.

Children with BMIs in the top 5% compared with others of the same age and sex are also described as obese. The Korean researchers found that the children with OME had an average BMI of 22, compared with 16.3 for the healthy children.

The scientists, led by Dr Jong Bin Kim, from Kyung Hee University in Seoul, suspected that obesity raised the risk of OME, rather than the other way round.

They did not suggest a reason for the link, but wrote: "In comparing children with and without OME, we found that childhood obesity was significantly higher in children with OME. This finding suggests that childhood obesity could have an effect on the development of OME."

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