title: Does matrix metalloproteinase-3 polymorphism play a role in age-related macular degeneration in patients with myocardial infarction?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of our study was to determine if the genotype of the matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) gene might carry the risk of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) in patients with myocardial infarction.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 499 patients with an acute myocardial infarction or with a history of myocardial infarction were enrolled into the study. They were subdivided into 2 groups: 273 patients with ARMD and 226 patients without ARMD. The control group comprised 560 persons from a random sample of the Lithuanian population. DNA was analyzed using real-time polymerase chain reaction to genotype polymorphism 5A/6A at a position -1171 of the MMP-3 gene promoter.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 499 patients with myocardial infarction, 47% had early-stage ARMD. The patients with ARMD were older than the patients in the group without ARMD (62.1±10.8 vs. 59.6±11.1, P<0.01). The analysis of MMP-3 gene polymorphism did not reveal any differences in the distribution of 5A/5A, 5A/6A, and 6A/6A genotypes between the ARMD group, non-ARMD group, and the control group (24.2%, 52.5%, and 23.3% in the ARMD group; 28.7%, 51.9%, and 19.4% in non-ARMD group; and 25.7%, 49.3% and 25.0%, in the control group, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MMP-3 gene polymorphism had no predominant effect on the development of ARMD in patients with myocardial infarction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania. rliutkeviciene@gmail.com
authors.forename: Rasa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Liutkevičienė
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Žaliaduonytė-Pekšienė
authors.forename: Dalia
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Žaliūnienė
authors.forename: Olivija
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Gustienė
authors.forename: Vytautas
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Jašinskas
authors.forename: Vaiva
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lesauskaitė
authors.forename: Abdonas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tamošiūnas
authors.forename: Remigijus
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Žaliūnas
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008097:Lithuania / Q000453:epidemiology; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D019278:Matrix Metalloproteinase 3 / Q000235:genetics*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic
chemical_list: D019278:Matrix Metalloproteinase 3