Allergies Are Not Just a Stuffy Nose. Here’s a Look at Other Symptoms

When you have swelling in the nose and nasopharynx due to allergies, you can get edema and swelling around the Eustachian tube orifice. —Peter C. Weber, MD

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September 2021

Ménière’s disease may also be related to allergy. “Some people feel very strongly that it’s related to allergic disease, and others feel very strongly that it isn’t,” Dr. Brook said. “I’m probably somewhere in the middle.”

The first association of allergy and Ménière’s disease appeared in the literature in 1923. Since then, a few studies have reported a connection. A 2000 survey of 734 patients with Ménière’s disease revealed high levels of patient-reported allergies (nearly 60% reported possible airborne allergies; 40.3% had or suspected food allergies); 37% of the 734 patients had skin test-confirmed allergic disease (Otol Head Neck Surg. 2000;123:69-75). Cross-sectional surveys have shown that the prevalence of diagnosed allergy is up to three times higher in those with a history of Ménière’s disease compared to the general population (Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2000;122:174-182).

A 2000 study by M. Jennifer Derebery, MD, reported significant improvement in tinnitus and vertigo in patients who had Ménière’s disease and underwent allergy desensitization and diet alterations (Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2000;122:174-182). To date, however, no significant randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies comparing Ménière’s disease patient outcomes with immunotherapy have been reported in the literature. However, as noted in a 2014 article, “the inclusion of allergy control as part of the treatment plan for Ménière’s disease is low risk to patients and should be considered for patients with indications that include history of seasonal or food allergy, past childhood or family history of allergy, bilateral Ménière’s symptoms, or a development of symptoms within a short time after exposure to food or inhaled allergen” (Curr Opin Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2014;22:227-230).   

Otolaryngology researchers are still delving into all the effects allergy can have on the body’s systems. Additional research into the extranasal manifestations of allergy would be useful as clinicians and patients navigate a future more likely to include a higher level of allergens.

Jennifer Fink is a freelance medical writer based in Wisconsin.