Allergy and Otitis Media in Clinical Practice

Purpose of Review Otitis media (OM) is a disease with very high prevalence in infancy, substantial burden on healthcare resources, and relevant impact on the quality of life of families. The link between OM and allergy is controversial and still debated. However, a fundamental premise has to be plac...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Current allergy and asthma reports 2020-08, Vol.20 (8), p.33-33, Article 33
Main Authors:	Ciprandi, Giorgio, Torretta, Sara, Marseglia, Gian Luigi, Licari, Amelia, Chiappini, Elena, Benazzo, Marco, Tosca, Maria Angela, Marchisio, Paola
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Adolescent Allergology Child Child, Preschool Ear diseases Humans Hypersensitivity - complications Medicine Medicine & Public Health Otitis (D Skoner Otitis Media - epidemiology Prevalence Quality of Life - psychology Section Editor Topical Collection on Otitis
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Summary:	Purpose of Review Otitis media (OM) is a disease with very high prevalence in infancy, substantial burden on healthcare resources, and relevant impact on the quality of life of families. The link between OM and allergy is controversial and still debated. However, a fundamental premise has to be placed before introducing this topic: there is the need to use clear and unambiguous terms. Literature abounds with misleading terms that significantly affect the methodology and consequently the outcomes. Moreover, it is essential to differentiate patients according to the OM type (i.e., acute OM, OM with effusion, and chronic suppurative OM), the allergic disease, and mainly the age. Recent Findings There are some recent studies exploring this issue through different approaches, such as epidemiological, mechanistic, and therapeutic. To identify allergy as a pathogenic factor for OM could improve the management of OM patients. Vice versa, to suspect allergy in OM patients could be reasonable in selected patients. Summary The current narrative review provides an overview of the evidence concerning the potential role of allergy in OM. As there are conflicting findings, a possible interpretation of pathophysiological events and a pragmatic approach are proposed.
ISSN:	1529-7322 1534-6315