title: Is age-related macular degeneration a manifestation of systemic disease? New prospects for early intervention and treatment.
abstract: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a common vision-threatening condition affecting the elderly. AMD shares common risk factors and processes, including vascular and inflammatory pathways, with many systemic disorders. Associations have been reported between AMD and hypertension, cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, dyslipidaemia, chronic kidney disease and neurodegenerative disorders. An increasing amount of evidence suggests that individuals with AMD are also at risk of systemic diseases such as stroke. In this review, we summarize the latest evidence to support the notion that AMD is an ocular manifestation of systemic disease processes, and discuss the potential systemic side effects of ocular AMD therapy of which general physicians should be aware. Recent genetic discoveries and understanding of the pathogenic pathways in AMD in relation to systemic disorders are also highlighted.
authors.affiliation: Singapore National Eye Center, Singapore City, Singapore; Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore City, Singapore; Department of Ophthalmology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore City, Singapore.
authors.forename: C M G
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.forename: T Y
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Wong
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000150:complications; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000150:complications; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D018450:Disease Progression; D050171:Dyslipidemias / Q000150:complications; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D014943:Global Health; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications; D015994:Incidence; D007249:Inflammation / Q000628:therapy; D058449:Intravitreal Injections; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000150:complications; D015995:Prevalence; D051436:Renal Insufficiency, Chronic / Q000150:complications; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D000975:Antioxidants
keywords: age-related macular degeneration; pathogenesis; risk factors; treatment