April 2011
Volume 52, Issue 14
Free
ARVO Annual Meeting Abstract  |   April 2011
The Contribution of Known Risk Factors to the Age at Onset of Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Author Affiliations & Notes
  • Usha Chakravarthy
    Centre for Vascular and Vision Sciences, Ctr for Vision and Vascular Science,
    The Queens University of Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
  • Ruth E. Hogg
    Centre for Vascular and Vision Sciences, Ctr for Vision and Vascular Science,
    Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
  • Anne E. Hughes
    Centre for Public Health, Centre for Public Health,
    The Queens University of Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
  • Gareth J. McKay
    Centre for Public Health, Centre for Public Health,
    Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
  • Christopher C. Patterson
    Centre for Population Health,
    The Queens University of Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
  • Footnotes
    Commercial Relationships  Usha Chakravarthy, None; Ruth E. Hogg, None; Anne E. Hughes, None; Gareth J. McKay, None; Christopher C. Patterson, None
  • Footnotes
    Support  EU 7th Framework, EVIGENORET
Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science April 2011, Vol.52, 1234. doi:
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      Usha Chakravarthy, Ruth E. Hogg, Anne E. Hughes, Gareth J. McKay, Christopher C. Patterson; The Contribution of Known Risk Factors to the Age at Onset of Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2011;52(14):1234.

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      © ARVO (1962-2015); The Authors (2016-present)

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Abstract
 
Purpose:
 

To relate the age at onset of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nvAMD) to genotype for the two well characterised risk loci (CFH and ARMS2), smoking status and other clinical covariates.

 
Methods:
 

249 participants with an angiographically confirmed diagnosis of nvAMD were recruited from a specialist macular clinic. Participants were genotyped for both ARMS2 and CFH risk alleles. Covariates available for analysis included age, gender, smoking, body mass index and cardiovascular status. The age at onset was defined as the first record of central visual loss in either eye of a participant and was determined from a retrospective examination of clinic notes. This could not be reliably determined in 55 patients leaving 194 available for analysis.

 
Results:
 

Linear regression showed that age at onset was approximately 3 years earlier in those classified as obese compared to normal BMI, 4 years earlier in current smokers when compared to never and 5 years earlier in those with two copies of the ARMS2 risk allele compared to none. Number of CFH risk alleles was not associated with age at onset.

 
Conclusions:
 

Reducing body mass index and stopping smoking may delay the onset of nvAMD even in the presence of the effect of high risk genotypes.

 
Keywords: age-related macular degeneration • clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: risk factor assessment • gene modifiers 
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