A BLOCKER OF LEUKOTRIENE RECEPTORS IN THE COMPLEX TREATMENT OF EXUDATIVE OTITIS MEANS IN PATIENTS WITH ALLERGIC RHINITIS
Exudative otitis media - synonym secretory otitis media (SOM), is a non-suppurative disease of the middle ear, which is manifested by the accumulation of serous or mucous exudate in its cavities, which is accompanied by the formation of conductive or mixed hearing loss. In recent years, the incidence of SOM among adults has increased by 2.5 times. This pathology of the middle ear is a multifactorial disease, in the pathogenesis of which there are disorders of the drainage and ventilation functions of the Eustachian tube. The SOM is characterized by a low-symptom course, which is the reason for the late diagnosis. The disease is often preceded by acute or chronic pathology of the upper respiratory tract, as well as various variants of the structure of the structures of the nasal cavity and nasopharynx, which can lead to a violation of the outflow of exudate from the middle ear cavities. The unity of the upper respiratory tract and ear determines the presence of associated diseases and a unified approach to their treatment. So about 80% of patients with SOM suffer from allergic rhinitis, the relief of which gives positive results of SOM treatment. The efficacy of a leukotriene receptor blocker in the complex treatment of 63 patients with SOM suffering from allergic rhinitis was studied. It was found that during the treatment there was a stable decrease in the edema of the mucous membrane of the upper respiratory tract, the elimination of exudate in the tympanic cavity, the return of hearing, as evidenced by the results of rhinomanometry, microotoscopy, audiometry and tympanometry. Our studies have shown that the use of a leukotriene receptor antagonist in SOM patients suffering from allergic rhinitis not only stably eliminates edema of the mucous membrane of the upper respiratory tract, as a result of which nasal breathing, drainage and ventilation function of the auditory tube are restored, but also hearing is restored, which practically eliminates the need for bypassing the tympanic cavity in this contingent of patients.