Serum and Salivary Leptin Levels in Children With Adenoid/Adenotonsillar Hypertrophy

Adenoid/Adenotonsillar Hypertrophy Group Inclusion Criteria: * Age 3 to 18 years * Diagnosis of adenoid hypertrophy or adenoid and palatine tonsil hypertrophy at the Otorhinolaryngology outpatient clinic by clinical examination with or without endoscopic evaluation * Stable general condition without known chronic systemic disease * No medical contraindication to venous blood and saliva sampling * Written informed consent obtained from a parent or legal guardian Exclusion Criteria: * Signs of acute upper or lower respiratory tract infection at the time of sampling or within the previous 2 weeks * Chronic endocrine, metabolic, cardiac, renal, hepatic or hematologic systemic disease * Obesity, growth retardation or a clinically diagnosed nutritional disorder * Previous adenoidectomy or adenotonsillectomy * Use of systemic corticosteroids, hormone preparations or immunomodulatory drugs within the last 3 months * Insufficient cooperation during clinical evaluation or sampling, or inability to obtain an adequate blood and/or saliva sample * Lack of written informed consent from a parent or legal guardian Control Group Inclusion Criteria: * Age 3 to 18 years * No adenoid or adenotonsillar hypertrophy on clinical and endoscopic evaluation * No history of nasal obstruction, chronic snoring or sleep-disordered breathing * Similar age and sex distribution to the patient group * No known chronic systemic disease and no medical contraindication to venous blood and saliva sampling * Written informed consent obtained from a parent or legal guardian Exclusion Criteria: \* Same exclusion criteria as the patient group