Allergies can cause some really irritating symptoms this time of year. While most allergy symptoms are commonly associated with the nose (sneezing, runny nose, congestion), it’s important to remember how interconnected our ears, nose and throat are. As ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialists, we are dedicated to educating our patients about this system and how one condition often affects another. Let’s talk about your ears and allergies.
The Eustachian Tubes Explained
Inside your head are two Eustachian tubes, one on either side. They connect the middle ear to the back of the nose and throat. These tubes are a major highway in the ENT area. The functions of the Eustachian tubes are:
- Balancing pressure between the outside of your head and inside your ear. When your ears pop when driving up a hill or taking off in an airplane, that’s the sound of the Eustachian tubes opening to equalize pressure.
- Draining fluid from the ear. Fluid buildup behind the eardrum can clog the middle ear, leading to muffled hearing or a middle ear infection.
Eustachian Tube Dysfunction
Eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD) is exactly what it sounds like: a dysfunction of the Eustachian tubes that inhibits their ability to do their functions. ETD can be temporary or chronic. It’s most common in children, only affecting 1% of the general adult population.
Temporary ETD most often occurs when the Eustachian tubes become clogged, often due to inflammation that swells them shut. When clogged, they can’t open and shut to equalize pressure, and fluid doesn’t drain, instead pooling up in the middle ear or inside the Eustachian tubes themselves. This leads to ear pain, frequent ear popping, a feeling of plugged-up ears, middle ear infections and postnasal drip.
What Happens When You Come in Contact with Allergens
You may think allergens (the substances that trigger allergies, such as pollen or animal dander) themselves cause allergy symptoms, but these symptoms are technically generated by your immune system. The immune system mistakes the allergen for a threat invading the body and deploys an attack to destroy it. Its weapons of choice against the threat include swelling at the sites of contact with the allergen—usually the nose, eyes or skin—to trap it and increasing mucus production to flush it out.
How Allergies Affect Eustachian Tube Dysfunction
Because the Eustachian tubes connect the ears to the nose and throat, it happens that the allergy symptoms brewing in your nose can affect other parts of the system, even spreading the symptoms around to a degree.
Allergy-related inflammation in the sinuses (congestion) can pinch shut the Eustachian tube. Indeed, inflammation may occur in the Eustachian tubes themselves. Additionally, increased mucus production in the nasal passages can block the Eustachian tubes, disrupting the drainage of fluid from the ear and leading to mucus buildup in the tubes.
Getting Help
As stated above, the ear, nose and throat are all intimately connected; what affects one will affect the others. The good news is that the inverse is also true: treating one will aid the rest. If your allergies have triggered ETD, then you can find relief from ETD by treating your allergies. You can do this by avoiding your triggers whenever possible, using over-the-counter medications, or speaking with an allergist or ENT specialist about prescription medications or long-lasting allergy treatments.
We at Spartanburg-Greer ENT & Allergy are well-versed in ETD and allergies, and we’re dedicated to keeping our neighbors comfortable throughout allergy season. To learn more about these conditions or to seek help with finding relief, contact our front desk.