title: Prognostic impact of gene polymorphisms in patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether genetic polymorphisms (single-nucleotide polymorphism [SNPs]) have a prognostic influence on hearing recovery after standardized corticosteroid therapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 192 gene samples from idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) patients registered in the Intractable Inner Ear Disease Gene Bank were enrolled and, as the candidate genes, 16 SNPs from 13 genes were selected for this study. Fischer's exact test was used to compare allele frequencies in each SNP between the patients with good hearing recovery and patients with poor hearing recovery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The SNPs of the GSR gene (rs2251780 and rs3779647) and NOS3 gene (rs1799983) were associated with treatment outcome (p < .05). Furthermore, there was a marginal correlation between the SNP of the NR3C1 gene (rs4912910) and treatment outcome (p = .05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study indicate that the analysis of genetic factors might make it possible to predict the treatment outcome, at least in part, in patients with idiopathic SSNHL.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Otorhinolaryngology , Shinshu University School of Medicine , Matsumoto , Japan.
authors.forename: Ryosuke
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kitoh
authors.affiliation: a Department of Otorhinolaryngology , Shinshu University School of Medicine , Matsumoto , Japan.
authors.forename: Shin-Ya
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Nishio
authors.affiliation: a Department of Otorhinolaryngology , Shinshu University School of Medicine , Matsumoto , Japan.
authors.forename: Shin-Ichi
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Usami
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics*; D003639:Hearing Loss, Sudden / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D011379:Prognosis
keywords: GSR; NOS3; NR3C1; SNPs; Sudden sensorineural hearing loss; genetic polymorphisms; treatment outcome