Vol. 94 No.4 April 2001
The Relationship between Otitis Media with Effusion and Allergic Rhinitis
Masashi Suzuki (Oita Medical University)
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 seen in the same patient. Many
clinical and experimental reports have discounted the allergies as a cause of
middle ear effusion (MEE) because type I allergic reactions in the nose cause
estachian 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 allergy treatment in
patients or animals having both diseases, combination treatment for allergy and
OME in patients with both disease should be initiated.