ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) is a well-known gene involved in alcohol and aldehyde metabolism. Moreover, recent studies have reported associations between ALDH2 and age-related disorders. Benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) is an age-related disorder and genetic factors may contribute to its onset. In this study, we investigated the association of a well-studied ALDH2 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), rs671, with the onset and clinical features of BPH. METHODS: A total of 222 BPH patients and 214 control subjects were genotyped. The clinical features of the BPH patients (prostate volume, prostate-specific antigen level, and International Prostatic Symptom Score) were analyzed. RESULTS: The results show that rs671 was only associated with the volume of BPH in genotype and allele frequencies (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: We propose that rs671 is an Asian-specific SNP in ALDH2 that may affect the disease progression of BPH in the Korean population.