Clinical characteristics and genotype-phenotype correlation of hearing loss patients with SLC26A4 mutations.

Abstract

Conclusions: The present study confirmed the clinical characteristics of patients with SLC26A4 mutations: congenital, fluctuating, and progressive hearing loss usually associated with vertigo and/or goiter during long-term follow-up. This clarification should help to facilitate appropriate genetic counseling and proper medical management for patients with these mutations, but there was no particular genotype-phenotype correlation among them, suggesting that other factors may contribute to such variability.

Objectives: Due to the wide range of phenotypes caused by SLC26A4 mutations, there is controversy with regard to genotype-phenotype correlation. The present study was performed: (1) to determine phenotypic range in patients with biallelic SLC26A4 mutations, and (2) to evaluate whether possible genotype-phenotype correlation exists.

Subjects and methods: Phenotypes in 39 hearing loss patients with SLC26A4 mutations were summarized and genotype-phenotype correlation was analyzed.

Results: Hearing level varied in the individuals from mild to profound severity. Most of the patients had fluctuating and progressive hearing loss that may have been of prelingual onset. Twenty-four (70.6%) patients had episodes of vertigo, and 10 (27.8%) patients had goiter, which had appeared at age 12 or older. In contrast to such phenotypic variabilities, no apparent correlation was found between these phenotypes and their genotypes.