Soft drusen, subretinal drusenoid deposits may be separate diseases leading to AMD
Soft drusen and subretinal drusenoid deposits have distinguishing characteristics and may represent separate diseases processes that lead to age-related macular degeneration, according to a prospective study.
Researchers characterized the differences in genetic risks, serum risks and associated systemic diseases between soft drusen and subretinal drusenoid deposits (SDD). The analysis included 126 participants with AMD who were classified as SDD (with or without soft drusen) or non-SDD (drusen only) by retinal imaging. The participants provided blood samples for genetic testing and analysis for markers of atherosclerotic disease.
Sixty-two participants were classified as SDD and 64 as non-SDD. Among all participants, 51 had cardiovascular disease or stroke. SDD was linked to a lower mean serum HDL, higher cardiovascular disease and stroke, and higher ARMS2 risk allele frequency. Non-SDD was associated with APOE2 and CETP risk alleles. In a multivariate analysis, cardiovascular disease and stroke and ARMS2 homozygous risk were independent risk factors for SDD.
“The SDD and soft drusen pathways, now considered to be components of one disease, [intermediate] AMD, actually may be two separate, often coexisting diseases that both can lead to advanced AMD,” the study authors wrote. “The specific association of cardiovascular disease and stroke with SDD in particular merits further study.”
Collapse
Read more about