Distinct vestibular phenotypes in DFNA9 families with COCH variants

Bong Jik Kim, Ah Reum Kim, Kyu Hee Han, Yoon Chan Rah, Jaihwan Hyun, Brandon S. Ra, Ja Won Koo, Byung Yoon Choi

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    23 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Mutations of COCH can cause hearing loss and less frequently vestibular symptoms. However, vestibular phenotypes, especially in terms of the location of specific variants are not well documented yet. In this study, a retrospective and prospective cohort survey was performed in two tertiary referral hospitals to demonstrate vestibular phenotypes of DFNA9 subjects with a focus on the relationship with the location of COCH mutations. Two DFNA9 subjects were recruited from the previously collected cohort, each segregating p.G38D and p.C162Y of the COCH gene. Another two DFNA9 families were newly detected by targeted resequencing of known 129 deafness genes (TRS-129). These two families segregated the p.G38D variant of the COCH gene as the causative mutation, making p.G38D the most frequent COCH mutation in our Korean cohorts. Regarding the detailed clinical phenotype of the four DFNA9 families with documented vestibular phenotypes, we were able to classify them into two groups: one (p.C162Y variant) with a Meniere’s disease (MD)-like phenotype and the other three (p.G38D variant) with significant bilateral vestibular loss without any definite MD symptoms. Distinct vestibular phenotypes depending on the location of COCH mutations were demonstrated, and this study correlates a genotype of p.G38D in COCH to the phenotype of bilateral total vestibular loss, therefore expanding the vestibular phenotypic spectrum of DFNA9 to range from bilateral vestibular loss without episodic vertigo to MD-like features with devastating episodic vertigo. In addition, the p.G38D variant of the COCH gene is suggested to be a frequent cause of progressive audiovestibular dysfunction in Koreans eventually requiring cochlear implantation.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)2993-3002
    Number of pages10
    JournalEuropean Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology
    Volume273
    Issue number10
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2016 Oct 1

    Bibliographical note

    Funding Information:
    This study was supported by the Korean Health Technology R&D project, Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs, Republic of Korea (No. HI14C1867) to B. Y. Choi. The funding bodies had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

    Publisher Copyright:
    © 2016, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

    Keywords

    • Bilateral vestibulopathy
    • COCH
    • Meniere disease
    • Targeted resequencing

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Otorhinolaryngology

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