Genetic cardiovascular risk factors and age-related macular degeneration.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the association between genetic cardiovascular risk factors and exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in a White Austrian population.


METHODS
Seventy-five unrelated AMD patients and 75 unrelated healthy, sex- and age-matched control patients were genotyped for the following 19 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 14 different genes: blood coagulation factor V (FV) R506Q, factor II (prothrombin) G20210A and factor XIII (FXIII) V34L; 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T, A1298C; plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) 4G/5G; endothelial protein C receptor (EPCR) 4600 A>G (A3 haplotype), 4678 G>C (A1 haplotype); apolipoprotein B (ApoB) R3500Q; apolipoprotein E (ApoE) E2/E3/E4; β-fibrinogen -455 G>A; human platelet antigen 1 (HPA1) a/b; angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) I/D; endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) 786 T>C, 894 G>T; lymphotoxin alpha (LTA) 804 C>A and 9p21 rs10757278. Genotyping was carried out by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by reverse hybridization (CVD StripAssays; ViennaLab Diagnostics, Vienna, Austria).


RESULTS
No statistically significant association could be observed between AMD and the investigated genetic risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). All factors seem to be uniformly distributed in the two groups of AMD patients and healthy controls. Two variables -β-fibrinogen: -455 G>A (p = 0.0786) and apolipoprotein E4 (p = 0.0636) - were not as far from association as the others.


CONCLUSIONS
Our data show that the 19 tested CVD risk markers do not play a significant role in AMD. β-Fibrinogen and apolipoprotein E4 should be examined in a larger cohort.
Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Retinology and Biomicroscopic Lasersurgery, Rudolf Foundation Clinic, Vienna, Austria. paulina.haas@wienkav.at
Paulina
P
Haas
Tina
T
Aggermann
Kerstin
K
Steindl
Walter
W
Krugluger
Helene
H
Pühringer
Christian
C
Oberkanins
Sophie
S
Frantal
Susanne
S
Binder
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D053327:Apolipoprotein E4 / Q000235:genetics; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000235:genetics*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000235:genetics; D005819:Genetic Markers; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D044465:White People / Q000235:genetics
D053327:Apolipoprotein E4; C115499:BBeta fibrinogen; D005819:Genetic Markers; D005340:Fibrinogen