IS GENETIC PREDISPOSITION AN IMPORTANT RISK FACTOR IN AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION

Age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) is the most common cause of vi sual morbidity in the aged in the Western world. The aetiology of ARMD is unknown. Although clinicians have noted that ARMD demonstrates a f amilial tendency, the question regarding the role of hereditary factor s in ARMD remains unanswered, The aims of this study were to assess th e level of genetic input into ARMD and to assess the mode of inheritan ce of the disease. Fifty affected patients and 50 age- and sex-matched controls and their immediate families were invited to take part in th e study. Thirty-six patients, controls and their families were studied . Eighty-one siblings of affected patients and 78 control siblings wer e available. Twenty of the 81 affected siblings were found to suffer f rom ARMD. In contrast only 1 of 78 control siblings had ARMD. This was statistically significant. The results confirm that hereditary factor s are important in the aetiology of ARMD.