Role of food allergy in otitis media with effusion

Abstract

Background and aim The role of food allergy (FA) in chronic otitis media with effusion (OME) is argumentative. New proof from cellular biology and immunology clarifies the essentials of allergic responses and permits exact diagnosis more than before for allergies and inflammatory disease. We aimed to detect the occurrence of FA in patients with chronic OME. Patients and methods This a prospective, cohort randomized controlled study that was conducted at Al Azhar University Hospital, Otorhinolaryngology Department, on 40 patients divided into two groups: patient group included 20 patients with OME, and control group included 20 patients without any medical problems about FA or OME. The prevalence of FA was detected by skin prick test and assessment of serum immunoglobulin E and eosinophil count. Results There were highly statistically significant correlations between increase in the total serum immunoglobulin E and eosinophil count and developing OME (P<0.00); however, there were no statistically significant correlations between age and developing OME (P<0.396). Conclusion The possibility of association and the contribution of FA should be kept in mind in OME cases.