ASSOCIATION BETWEEN ALLERGIC RHINITIS AND EUSTACHIAN TUBE DYSFUNCTION IN ADULTS: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Background: Allergic inflammation of the nasal and nasopharyngeal mucosa may impair opening of the Eustachian tube and disturb middle-ear pressure regulation. Adult data remain less extensive than pediatric evidence, particularly in routine Indian ENT practice. The study is designed to examine the association between allergic rhinitis (AR) and Eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD) in adults and to determine whether ETD frequency increases with AR severity. Materials and Methods: This hospital-based cross-sectional study included 240 adults aged 18–60 years. Participants were classified as AR (n=120) or non-AR controls (n=120). ETD symptoms were assessed using the seven-item Eustachian Tube Dysfunction Questionnaire (ETDQ-7), and middle-ear status was evaluated by otoscopy and tympanometry. Dilatory ETD was defined by an ETDQ-7 score ≥14.5 together with a type B or C tympanogram in at least one ear. Group differences were tested with chi-square and t tests; odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Results: ETD was identified in 45/120 adults with AR (37.5%) and 14/120 controls (11.7%), χ²=21.60, p<0.001. AR was associated with higher odds of ETD (OR 4.54, 95% CI 2.33–8.87). Mean ETDQ-7 scores were higher in AR than controls (16.8±6.7 vs 10.4±4.1, p<0.001), and abnormal tympanometry was more frequent (41.7% vs 15.0%, p<0.001). Within the AR group, ETD occurred in 19.6% of mild cases and 48.6% of moderate–severe cases (p=0.001). Conclusion: Adults with allergic rhinitis showed a substantially greater burden of symptomatic, objectively supported ETD than controls. The association was strongest in moderate–severe AR, supporting routine enquiry about aural pressure symptoms and selective tympanometric assessment in patients with troublesome nasal disease.