As per the outcomes of an observational cross-sectional study issued in the Journal of Marine Medical Society, the patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) were found to have an increased likelihood of developing bilateral Eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD). Furthermore, the study indicates a higher prevalence of ETD among patients with moderate to severe allergic rhinitis.

Allergic rhinitis can lead to ETD which may exacerbate middle ear issues. Diagnosing ETD in these patients is challenging and requires objective tests. This study aimed to examine the prevalence of ETD and its acuteness using tympanometry and the Williams test in AR patients with intact tympanic membranes.

402 patients diagnosed with AR were categorized into two groups: mild and moderate to severe AR. Objective evaluation of ETD was conducted using the nasal endoscopic procedure, tympanometry test and the Williams test. ETD severity, laterality, and prevalence were evaluated.

MS Excel 2010 was used for graphical tabulation of data. The comparison between study groups was conducted using unpaired t-tests, while Fisher’s and Chi-square tests were utilized to assess associations among the groups with a significance at p < 0.05.

In the study, 44.5% of cases showed mild allergic rhinitis (AR), while 55.5% exhibited moderate to severe AR. Among AR cases, 38.1% had ETD, with 28.6% showing bilateral involvement. The dysfunction was classified as partial or complete in 22.2% and 15.9% of patients, respectively. Additionally, 38.6% of patients displayed a type C curve on the tympanometry test, with the remaining showing a type A curve.

Tympanometry solely indicates the presence or absence of ETD, whereas tests like the Williams test assess ET functionality and ETD severity, emphasized Jayadevan, P. Jijesh.