Allergies affect more than your nose: How they can cause hearing loss and voice problems
Allergies can do more than cause sneezing, know how they may impact your hearing and voice, and what signs you should not ignore.
Allergic reactions are usually considered to be the cause of sneezing, a runny nose, and itching in the eyes, they also cause other effects on health. Allergies may, as an example, weaken hearing and vocal cords. When the body comes in contact with allergens, e.g. pollen, dust, moulds, and pet dander, it secretes histamines. The inflammation and swellings spread by the histamines can extend out of the nasal cavities and sinuses into the throat and the ears. So, hearing and speech production are impaired.
Eustachian tube blockage and hearing loss
According to Dr. (Major) Rajesh Bhardwaj, Consultant, ENT, MedFirst ENT Centre, "Obstruction of the Eustachian tubes is the most prevalent method of allergies to impact hearing. The Eustachian tubes are the tubes that are situated between the nasopharynx and the middle ear and serve as a tube of air pressure equalisation. Due to allergies, the Eustachian tubes become swollen and inflamed, rendering them dysfunctional. This causes the retention of fluids in the middle ear space thereby giving a sense of fullness and a dampening effect on the sounds. This type of hearing loss is referred to as conductive hearing loss and is reversible."
Types of hearing problems linked to allergies
Hearing effects associated with allergies are of various kinds. The most common is the conductive hearing loss, which occurs when the sound waves are blocked by fluid or swelling of the outer or middle ear. Uncommonly, inflammation of the inner ear can be chronic and sensorineural changes can occur. It can also cause other symptoms associated with allergy like ringing of the ears, dizziness, vertigo or even ear infection due to trapped fluid which forms a breeding ground to bacteria.
Different allergy triggers and their effects on ears
However, an allergy can adversely affect hearing in no single manner. Pollen causes seasonal allergies which cause nasal congestion and Eustachian tube dysfunctions, causing the sounds to sound dull or muffled. The presence of fluid in the middle ear can be caused by dust mites or moulds, which result in constant inflammation. Pet dander allergy may cause itching, swelling or ear congestion. In some cases, the outer ear can be irritated by skin or contact allergy to some items, including earrings, perfumes, and detergents, which will have an impact on sound conduction.
People with certain inner ear conditions like Meniere's disease may discover that allergies worsen their hearing fluctuation, tinnitus and vertigo issues. They have discovered that the hearing impairment caused by allergy does not tend to be permanent and that it is resolved once the inflammation and fluid build-up in the ears have been treated.
How do allergies affect your voice?
The other symptom of allergies is related to voice since it may lead to irritation of the vocal cords and this may cause inflammation of the vocal cords. Consequently, a person can experience a hoarse voice, voice straining, and the necessity to clear his or her throat all the time. It occurs due to post-nasal drip when the mucus is too much and it flows down into the throat. The irritation of the vocal cords, in turn, does not allow the vocal cords to vibrate correspondingly.
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