Conclusion: The longer alleles (CA)17-20 of the promoter region of PARP-1 gene may confer some protection against bilateral Meniere's disease (BMD).
Objective: To analyze microsatellite (CA)(n) polymorphisms in the promoter region of PARP-1 gene and seek out risk and protective variants for BMD.
Subjects and methods: Eighty patients from two ethnically defined groups with definite BMD, according to the diagnostic scale of the American Academy of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, were compared with a group of 371 normal controls from the same origin in a prospective multicenter study. We developed a specific amplification protocol to determine the PARP1-promotor CA microsatellite polymorphisms.
Results: We found that the longer alleles (CA)17-20 had a very low frequency in BMD (2/160, 1.3%, OR=7.33 (1.77-30.37, 95% CI), corrected p=0.012), suggesting that it may confer some protection against BMD.