Evaluation of the Association Between Allergic Rhinitis and Middle Ear Dysfunction: A Clinicopathological Study

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Allergy and Immunology
• Cytology

Background:

• The relationship between allergic rhinitis and otitis media with effusion (OME) is understudied in India.
• Nasal cytology, including absolute eosinophil count (AEC) and eosinophil percentage in nasal smears, is used to diagnose allergic rhinitis.
• Middle ear dysfunction is common in patients with allergic rhinitis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the role of nasal cytology in allergic rhinitis symptomatology.
• To evaluate the association between nasal cytology and middle ear dysfunction in patients with allergic rhinitis.

Main Methods:

• A single-centre, hospital-based observational study was conducted.
• Patients with allergic rhinitis symptoms underwent ENT examination, including rhinoscopy and otoscopy.
• Nasal smears were analyzed for eosinophil percentage, and AEC was determined.
• Statistical analysis used the chi-squared test with significance at p < 0.05.

Main Results:

• Out of 126 allergic rhinitis patients, 62 (49.2%) had middle ear dysfunction.
• Eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD) was the most common middle ear pathology (22%), followed by chronic otitis media (COM) (16.6%), OME (5.5%), and acute otitis media (AOM) (4.5%).
• Middle ear pathology was found in 7 of 10 patients with absolute eosinophilia.

Conclusions:

• No correlation was found between nasal smear cytology and the severity of nasal symptoms or middle ear disease.
• Sneezing was the most common nasal symptom.
• Chronic otitis media (COM) was the most frequent middle ear pathology observed.