Hearing depends on functional ClC-K-type chloride channels composed of barttin with ClC-Ka or ClC-Kb. Loss-of-function mutations of the barttin gene BSND or of both, the ClC-Ka gene CLNKA and the ClC-Kb gene CLNKB lead to congenital deafness and renal salt wasting. Recently, we identified the gain-of-function mutation ClC-Kb(T481S) which is associated with increased blood pressure. To explore the impact of ClC-Kb(T481S) on hearing, healthy volunteers (n=329) and individuals suffering from tinnitus (n=246) volunteered for hearing tests (n=348) and genetic analysis (n=575). 19.1% of the individuals were heterozygote (ClC-Kb(T481S)/ClC-Kb) and 1.7% homozygote carriers. Pure tone average hearing threshold (PTAt) for air conduction was significantly (p30 dB (p
