Allergy: a leading role in otitis media with effusion.

We have studied 35 children with seasonal allergic rhinitis confirmed by positive skin tests and RAST to grass pollen. Intranasal antigen provocation was performed to evaluate the function of the eustachian tube (ET) and middle ear pressure (MEP). Tympanometry was used to evaluate the changes in MEP, while Valsava and Toynbee tympanometric tests were employed to study the ET function, and the changes in nasal airway resistance were measured by anterior rhinomanometry. ET dysfunction (ETD) and a decrease in MEP and nasal airway resistance were demonstrated in the children under study as compared with the controls. The results suggest a role for allergy in ETD and for the development of OME.