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Bridget M. Kuehn

JAMA. 2005;293:1841-1845.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

A trio of studies has identified a gene variant that may be responsible for about half of the 15 million age-related macular degeneration (AMD) cases in the United States. The finding also suggests that inflammation plays an important role in the etiology of the disease.

The three multi-institution studies were published in an advance online edition of Science on March 10 (http://www.sciencexpress.org). The research, which used techniques derived from the Human Genome Project, identified a common variant of the complement factor H (CFH) gene that explains about 50% of AMD cases.

Many large drusen, circular lesions on the macula (center of the retina), are a hallmark of age-related macular degeneration. (Photo credit: Arch Ophthalmol. 2001;119:1417-1436)

The CFH gene is involved in regulating the alternate complement pathway. Activation of the pathway destroys bacteria, regulates immune reactions, and produces inflammation. Complement factor H inactivates . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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