OBJECTIVETo investigate the correlation between prothrombin G20210A polymorphism and the risk for idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL) using Meta-analysis methodology.

METHODSDatabases, including PUBMED, EMBASE, Cochrane Library and CBM, were searched to collect the case control studies on the correlation between prothrombin G20210A polymorphism and idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss. Only high quality studies were included. All analysis were conducted with Review Manager Version 4.2 software.

RESULTSA total of 9 studies were included, involving 735 cases and 1230 controls. The quality assessment involved 3 parts, 8 scores (totally 8 stars). The results showed the included studies were high-quality. Two studies were 8 stars of quality, three studies were 7 stars, one study was 6 stars, one study was 5 stars, and two studies were 4 stars. Meta-analysis showed that the prothrombin G20210A mutation frequencies of the genotypes and alleles showed significant statistically difference between cases and controls [P = 0.03, OR = 1.79, 95% CI = (1.06, 3.01); P = 0.03, OR = 1.77, 95% CI = (1.06, 2.97), respectively].

CONCLUSIONSThe prothrombin G20210A polymorphism might be a genetic risk factor for sudden hearing loss. However, this conclusion remains to be confirmed by high-quality, large-scale studies.