Allergy and Dizziness

The inner ear is the organ not only of hearing but also of balance. Thus, insults to it can manifest as hearing loss and dizziness. Allergy is an overreactive response to a stimulus. The body’s immune system detects the trigger as a very dangerous “other” The body’s response can be local, that is limited to the area in contact with the stimulus, or systemic, that is affecting the whole body.

For systemic reactions, the inner ear is also often affected. Not surprisingly, allergy is a common cause of hearing and balance disorders. This is thought to occur secondary to a fluid overload within the inner ear. Just like the swelling that one gets in the skin or around the eyes as a result of an allergic reaction, the inner swells. Thus, this can present like Meniere’s disease. Therefore, hearing can temporarily deteriorate and an individual may feel imbalance, lightheadedness, or spinning.

On the left, compartments within the inner ear are in their normal state.On the right, the middle compartment within the middle ear is swollen secondary to excessive fluid.

Dizziness and hearing loss secondary to allergy can be detected by allergy testing. Once the triggers are identified, they can either be avoided or allergy desensitization treatment can be commenced. As the sensitivity of the ear to allergic stimuli is often greater than the rest of the body, we test at much higher concentrations to detect any sort of response to the stimuli.