It is noteworthy that this strong evidence of the involvement of IL-6 with NIHL has been verified by several studies in animal models. Evidence in human beings related to pro-inflammatory interleukins and NIHL was recently reported by our group, when we investigated the associa-tion of polymorphisms in the IL-1 gene and NIHL. That study demonstrated that the polymorphism in this gene is not associated with NIHL in the assessed elderly subjects.However, the findings of the present study showed that poly-morphisms in the IL-6 gene should contribute to the risk ofNIHL in the Brazilian elderly