Age-Related Maculopathy: a biochemical and immunohistochemical study
Year: 1996
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Age-related maculopathy (ARM) is an age-related degenerative disorder of the central part\\nof the retina, the macula lutea (yellow spot). Essentially, ARM is a clinical diagnosis based\\non funduscopical changes. It is customary nowadays to call the late stages of ARM,\\ngeographic atrophy and neovascular (disciform) macular degeneration, age-related macular\\ndegeneration (AMD)(Bird, et ai., 1995). These late stages result in severe and irreversible\\nvisual impairment and tend to progress to the center of the macula (the fovea), where visual\\nacuity is affected most. Because AMD is usually a bilateral disorder, affected people loose\\ntheir ability to read, drive, and watch television (Macular-photocoagulation-study-group,\\n1993). The prevalence of AMD is 1-7% in people over 60, up to 14% over age 85.\\nObviously, the number of people affected by AMD will enlarge, because of the increasing\\nage of the population (Ferris, 1983; Klein, el ai., 1992; Leibowitz, el ai., 1980; Vinding,\\n1989; Vingerling, et ai., 1995c). In fact, AMD is the mosl common cause of blindness in\\nthe elderly in the weslern world and it is estimated that 640.000 people in the USA aged 75\\nyears or older have signs of AMD (Klein, et ai., 1992), while in The Netherlands 57.000\\npersons suffer from AMD in at least one eye (Vingerling, et ai., 1995d). Although this\\ndisease has been known for more than a century (Haab, 1888), knowledge on the\\npatllOgenesis of the affliction is still incomplete. Some risk-factors for ARM have been found\\nin epidemiologic studies. Current smokers have a three times increased risk to develop this\\ndisease (Vingerling, et ai., 1995b), and cardiovascular diseases and early-menopause are\\nreported to be risk-factors as well (Vingerling, et ai., 1995a; Vingerling, et aI., 1995e).\\nThere is still no adequate therapy for the majority of people disabled by AMD. Therefore,\\nit is necessary to intensify the research on ARM and AMD in order to understand the\\npathogenesis of this disease. This knowledge may eventually lead to an adequate therapy or\\nto preventive measures for this severely invalidating disease.
Author: Mike Kliffen
Language: English
Subfield: Ophthalmology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2112300805