Vol.102 No.4 contentsPRACTICA OTO-RHINO-LARYNGOLOGICA
Vol. 102 No. 4 April 2009
The Link between Allergy and Otitis Media with Effusion: Revisited
Masashi Suzuki and Satoru Kodama
(Oita University Faculty of Medicine)
The role of allergy, particularly allergic rhinitis (AR), in otitis media with effusion (OME) is discussed. Because both OME and AR are common in young children, these disorders are occasionally observed in the same patient. Many clinical and experimental reports have discounted allergies as a cause of middle ear effusion (MEE) because type I allergic reactions in the nose cause eustachian tube dysfunction but do not induce MEE, since the associated tubal dysfunction has a short duration. It has been shown that allergy-induced tubal dysfunction significantly disturbs the clearance of MEE. Since clinical and experimental studies have demonstrated the efficacy of treatment for allergy in patients or animals exhibiting both diseases, combination treatment for allergy and OME in patients with both diseases should be initiated.
Key words :allergy, otitis media with effusion, allergic rhinitis