title: Association of age-related macular degeneration and reticular macular disease with cardiovascular disease.
abstract: Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of adult blindness in the developed world. Thus, major endeavors to understand the risk factors and pathogenesis of this disease have been undertaken. Reticular macular disease is a proposed subtype of age-related macular degeneration correlating histologically with subretinal drusenoid deposits located between the retinal pigment epithelium and the inner segment ellipsoid zone. Reticular lesions are more prevalent in females and in older age groups and are associated with a higher mortality rate. Risk factors for developing age-related macular degeneration include hypertension, smoking, and angina. Several genes related to increased risk for age-related macular degeneration and reticular macular disease are also associated with cardiovascular disease. Better understanding of the clinical and genetic risk factors for age-related macular degeneration and reticular macular disease has led to the hypothesis that these eye diseases are systemic. A systemic origin may help to explain why reticular disease is diagnosed more frequently in females as males suffer cardiovascular mortality at an earlier age, before the age of diagnosis of reticular macular disease and age-related macular degeneration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Neelesh
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rastogi
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA. Electronic address: roland.smith@nyumc.org.
authors.forename: R Theodore
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D005654:Fundus Oculi; D006801:Humans; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D009887:Ophthalmoscopy; D015593:Retinal Drusen / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D055213:Retinal Pigment Epithelium / Q000473:pathology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence
keywords: age-related macular degeneration; age-related maculopathy; cardiovascular disease; coronary artery disease; reticular drusen; reticular macular disease; reticular pseudodrusen; subretinal drusenoid deposits