title: Serum VEGF and CFH in exudative age-related macular degeneration.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine serum vascular endothelial growth factor 165 (VEGF165) levels and the association of the complement factor H gene (CFH) Y402H polymorphism in patients with exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in comparison to unaffected control subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-six AMD patients and 66 healthy age- and gender-matched controls were included in this case-control study. The serum VEGF165 was assayed by ELISA (R&D). Genotypes were determined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Chi-squared tests were used regarding the polymorphism, a t-test regarding the VEGF-levels.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Levels of serum VEGF165 were similar in both groups (p-value = 0.2112). Genotype frequency differed significantly between patients with exudative AMD and the healthy control group (p  =  0.003136). The serum VEGF165 levels were similar irrespective of the presence of the CFH Y402H polymorphism (p  =  0.4113) and independent of the specific genotype (p  =  0.9634).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the present study, exudative AMD is not associated to serum VEGF165 levels; furthermore, our data does not establish a statistical link between VEGF165 and the CFH Y402H polymorphism.
authors.affiliation: Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Retinology and Biomicroscopic Lasersurgery, Rudolf Foundation Clinic, Vienna, Austria. paulina.haas@wienkav.at
authors.forename: Paulina
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Haas
authors.forename: Kerstin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Steindl
authors.forename: Tina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Aggermann
authors.forename: Katharina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schmid-Kubista
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Krugluger
authors.forename: Gregory S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Hageman
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Binder
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D017242:Complement Factor H / Q000235:genetics; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000097:blood*; D044465:White People / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: C493495:CFH protein, human; C467484:VEGFA protein, human; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D017242:Complement Factor H