Association between paraoxonase 2 gene polymorphisms and noise-induced hearing loss in the Chinese population.

OBJECTIVES The aim of the present study was to investigate whether PON2 gene polymorphisms (rs7493, rs12026, rs12704796, rs7785846 and rs7786401) are associated with susceptibility to noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) in the Chinese population. METHODS A case-control study was conducted using 615 cases selected without any restriction in age or sex and 644 controls who were matched with the cases in terms of age, gender and the intensity and duration of exposure to noise. Information on these subjects was gathered by questionnaires that were administered through face-to-face interviews by trained interviewers. RESULTS We found that the rs7493 CG + GG genotype (OR=1.36, 95% CI, 1.08-1.72), rs12026 CG + GG genotype (OR=1.34, 95% CI, 1.06-1.70), rs7785846 CT + TT genotype (OR=1.36, 95% CI, 1.07-1.71) and rs7786401 GT + TT genotype (OR=1.33, 95% CI, 1.05-1.68) were risk factors for NIHL. CONCLUSIONS PON2 gene polymorphisms may be associated with susceptibility to NIHL in the Chinese population