Abstract
BACKGROUND: The genic etiology of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) is associated with gene polymorphism which is related to oxygen metabolism of cochlear hair cells. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the genetic susceptibility of SOD2 gene polymorphism in sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL). METHOD: The genotype of three tag SNPs (rs5746136, rs2842960, rs4880) variants were detected among 148 patients with SSNHL in Yunnan Province, China, and 171 matched participants without hearing loss in control group were used to screen for any risk-associated SNPs. RESULT: The A/G genotype at rs5746136 locus (OR=1.811, 95 % CI=1.161-2.826, p = 0.009) was associated with susceptibility to SSNHL in Yunnan Province. CONCLUSION: SOD2 gene with the rs5746136 A/G genotype is associated with an increased risk of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL), whereas the other two tag SNPs, rs2842960 and rs4880, show no significant correlation with SSNHL. Specifically, the tag SNP rs5746136 A/G appears to be a susceptibility gene for SSNHL.