Nasal allergy linked to chronic ear drainage

Nasal allergy linked to chronic ear drainage
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The findings of a new studysuggest that nasal allergies can cause chronic secretory otitismedia, a condition involving persistent drainage of fluid fromthe ear that usually results from ear infections.
Dr. Zdenek Pelikan, with the Allergy Research Foundation inBreda, the Netherlands, and associates investigated thepossible role of nasal allergy in secretory otitis media inadults and determined if allergy testing in combination withear examination can help diagnose the disorder.
Of 69 patients with secretory otitis media, 54 testedpositive for possible nasal allergy, the researchers report inthe Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Most of thepatients with a positive allergy test result had abnormal earpressure when tested.
Conversely, in a separate group of 42 patients who hadnasal allergy, but not secretory otitis media, all of the earpressures were normal.
"Results of our study show that chronic secretory otitismedia can also be caused by nasal allergy, at least in somecases, and it can occur also in adult patients," Pelikanconcluded. "Diagnostic confirmation of this relationship mayresult in more (secretory otitis media) treatment focused onthe nasal allergy."
SOURCE: Annals of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, November2007.