Association Between Polymorphisms in Genes Encoding Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase and the Risk of Ménière's Disease

Abstract

Folate metabolism is essential for cellular functioning. Despite extensive research on the roles of folate-metabolism-related gene polymorphisms in the pathophysiology of many diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, cancers, and sudden sensorineural hearing loss, little is known about their association with Ménière's disease (MD). The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene polymorphisms (C677T and A1298C) on the risk of MD in a Japanese population. We examined the C677T and A1298C (rs1801133 and rs1801131) polymorphisms in the MTHFR gene and compared them between 1946 adults (986 men and 960 women) participating in the National Institute for Longevity Sciences Longitudinal Study of Aging and 86 cases of MD. A multiple logistic regression was performed to obtain odds ratios (ORs) for the risk of MD regarding the MTHFR polymorphisms before (model 1) and after (model 2) adjustment for age and sex factors. The OR of MTHFR C677T for the risk of MD was 0.669 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.479–0.934) in model 1 and 0.680 (95% CI, 0.484–0.954) in model 2. In contrast, the OR of MTHFR A1298C for the risk of MD was 1.503 (95% CI, 1.064–2.123) in model 1 and 1.505 (95% CI, 1.045–2.167) in model 2. Our results imply that the MTHFR C677T and A1298C polymorphisms are associated with the risk of MD.