Abstract
Purpose: :
To investigate the CFH Y402H polymorphism and the presence of AMD in the Austrian population of Caucasoid descent and to determine an association between exposure to Chlamydia pneumoniae - responsible for up to 20% of community-acquired pneumoniae - and risk of age related macular degeneration(AMD) in patients with the complement factor H (CFH) polymorphism
Methods: :
Genotypes were determined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis in 75 unrelated AMD patients and compared to 75 healthy controls. Chlamydia pneumoniae IgG was tested by Elisa systems (R&D) in both groups.The association between the genetic polymorphism and the disease was examined by chi(2) test and logistic regression.
Results: :
Genotype frequency differed significantly between the AMD patients and the healthy controls (1277TT 22.7%, 1277TC 53.3%, and 1277CC 22.7% in the AMD group; 1277TT 48.0%, 1277TC 38.7%, and 1277CC 13.3% in the control group) showing a p-value < 0.005.No association was found between a passed Chlamydia pneumoniae infection and AMD (p=0.192) nor was any association found between Chlamydia pneumoniae and the CFH polymorphism.
Conclusions: :
Our data confirm that the CFH Y402H polymorphism is a risk factor for age related macular degeneration in the Austrian population with a higher frequency of the Y402 Polymorphism in AMD patients. Neither was an association found between preceding Chlamydia pneumoniae infection and diagnosed AMD, nor between preceding Chlamydia pneumoniae infection and positive CFH polymorphism.
Clinical Trial: :
www.clinicaltrials.gov NCT00533754
Keywords: age-related macular degeneration • microbial pathogenesis: clinical studies