The Role Of Allergic Rhinitis In Chronic Otitis Media A Cross-Sectional Study.

Abstract

Background: Long-standing middle ear inflammation defines Chronic otitis media (COM) as it causes recurrent infections that reduce hearing capabilities. Medical experts believe allergic rhinitis (AR) serves as a COM susceptibility factor because it causes impairments to Eustachian tubes together with swollen nasal membrane tissue and persistent inflammatory responses. The presence of AR causes nasal congestion together with elevated mucus levels which creates conditions that make people more susceptible to middle ear infection and bacterial invasion that sustains persistent otitis media. Current evidence demonstrates the link between AR and COM but researchers struggle to understand how these conditions relate to each other. The research examines the connection between AR and COM with the purpose of enhancing diagnostic and treatment practices in medical settings.

Objectives: to evaluates how widespread allergic rhinitis exists in chronic otitis media patients while studying its effect on disease intensity. The research examines whether allergic rhinitis plays a part in causing both prolonged middle ear inflammation and repetitive infections in patients with chronic otitis media.

Place and duration of study. This Study Conducted In Department Of ENT Kabir Medical College Peshawar From Jan 2023 To July 2023

Methods: this cross-sectional studied 150 patients with chronic otitis media. The study  evaluated patients for allergic rhinitis through the combination of medical history, skin prick tests and serum IgE examinations. The evaluation process involved an examination of the ears and ear canal through the scope and test methods to gauge COM severity. The study performed statistical evaluations which involved mean comparisons combined with chi-square tests to determine relationships between allergic rhinitis levels and chronic otitis media severity at a significance level of p < 0.05.

Results: 150 patients participated in the study as members of the population with an average age of 42.3 ± 10.5 years. Among the 150 evaluated patients allergic rhinitis affected 62 people which corresponded to 41.3% of them. Patients who had tympanic membrane perforations together with persistent middle ear effusion showed higher rates of AR according to statistical analyses with p values of 0.021 and 0.034. People who had both COM and AR showed greater average air-bone gap findings during audiometric testing with a significant difference from patients who did not have AR (p = 0.017). Research indicates that AR patients showed statistical evidence for greater Eustachian tube dysfunction frequency (p = 0.029). study  data demonstrates that allergic inflammation might contribute to deteriorating conditions in the middle ear.

Conclusion: the allergic rhinitis leads to significant middle ear inflammation which intensifies chronic otitis media. The treatment and early detection of allergic rhinitis among COM patients can help decrease the development of persistent otitis media together with better patient results. More extensive longitudinal analysis needs to be done to determine treatment approaches for exploring the direct path between allergic rhinitis and chronic otitis media.