A tag-single nucleotide polymorphisms approach to the vascular endothelial growth factor-A gene in age-related macular degeneration

Abstract

PURPOSE: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of poor vision in the developed world, and its pathogenesis remains unknown. The most devastating form of end stage disease is neovascular or wet AMD, where there is abnormal growth of new blood vessels under the retina. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is thought to be a major player in the stimulus of this abnormal growth of blood vessels. We undertook a case-control association study to investigate the VEGF-A gene, a known angiogenic gene that has previously been associated with AMD. METHODS: We recruited 577 individuals with AMD (early, atrophic, and neovascular AMD) and 173 ethnically matched controls for our ..