Biomarker For Age-related Macular Degeneration Found

In this largest study of the relationship of this amino acid and AMD, researchers measured the fasting plasma homocystein levels of 934 individuals who were participating in an ancillary study of the Age-Related Eye Disease Study. Five hundred and forty seven people with AMD and 387 control subjects were tested.

"We found that elevated homocysteine in the blood may be another biomarker for increased risk of AMD," said lead author Johanna M. Seddon, MD, director of epidemiology at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. Seddon is also an associate professor of ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School. "Homocysteine can be reduced by dietary intake of vitamins B6, B12, and folate, so the relationship between this amino acid and AMD deserves further study."

Researchers found that median values were higher among people with advanced stages of AMD compared to people without AMD, controlling for age and other factors. Levels considered high in the clinical setting (above 12 mmol/l) were also associated with a higher risk of AMD. Seddon's finding adds to the growing body of evidence that there may be overlapping disease mechanisms between AMD and cardiovascular diseases.

Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of irreversible visual impairment and blindness among persons aged 60 and older. With the elderly population steadily growing, the burden related to this loss of visual function will increase. Limited treatment options exist and prevention remains the best approach for addressing this public health concern.

Seddon and colleagues first proposed this potential relationship between homocysteine and AMD in the mid-1990s and published this hypothesis in a review article in 1999. She and her team previously established that smoking and nutrition are modifiable factors associated with the development and progression of AMD. They are now also searching for the genes involved in the etiology of this increasing cause of blindness.

This research was funded by grants from the National Institute of Health, the National Eye Institute, Bethesda, MD; the Epidemiology Unit Research Fund of the MEEI, Boston, and the Good Samaritan Foundation, Portland, Ore.

Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary
http://www.meei.harvard.edu
The Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, an independent specialty hospital, is an international center for treatment and research and a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School.

Harvard Medical School
http://hms.harvard.edu/
Harvard Medical School has more than 7,000 full-time faculty working in 10 academic departments housed on the School's Boston quadrangle or in one of 48 academic departments at 18 Harvard teaching hospitals and research institutes. Those Harvard hospitals and research institutions include Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Cambridge Health Alliance, The CBR Institute for Biomedical Research, Children's Hospital Boston, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Forsyth Institute, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Joslin Diabetes Center, Judge Baker Children's Center, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts Mental Health Center, McLean Hospital, Mount Auburn Hospital, Schepens Eye Research Institute, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, and the VA Boston Healthcare System.