Can allergies trigger ringing in the ears?
Ask the doctor
Q. Can nasal congestion from allergies cause tinnitus?
A. Tinnitus is a noise people hear in one or both ears or in their head. Anything that affects hearing or the ears can cause tinnitus. Hearing loss, exposure to loud noise, head injuries, and infections are a few common causes.
Nasal congestion from allergies or a cold can also cause tinnitus or make it worse.
Here is what can happen: The Eustachian tube connects the ear to the back of the nose to equalize pressure in the middle ear. When the nose gets congested due to inflammation and swelling of nasal tissues, it can block the opening of the Eustachian tube in the back of the nose, and this blockage may trigger tinnitus.
Treating the allergies will usually resolve (or at least reduce) the tinnitus.
Image: © Doucefleur/Getty Images
About the Author
Howard E. LeWine, MD, Chief Medical Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
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