Amd : Risk Factors Of Genetics And Disease

A permanent change in a gene that can be passed on to children. The rare, early-onset familial

The research topic I will be introducing is Age-Related Macular Degeneration. This has been classified as a degenerative disorder that distresses the macula in one’s eye. AMD is unfortunately a common illness that individuals over 65 suffer from and that is a central cause vision loss. AMD doesn’t have a set disease pathway, in some individuals it advances slowly so that loss of vision does not arise for a long time. The disease can also advance much quicker and may lead to lack of vision in either or both eyes. The disease begins a blurry area near the center of one’s vision which grows larger and larger possibly causing a blank space in the eye (Boyd, 2013). Research is being done on AMD because it is a prevalent illness and has extreme consequences.

. . M, P. (2015, October 27). An Overview of Human Genetic Disorders with Special Reference to African Americans. Retrieved November 16, 2017, from https://www.omicsonline.org/open-access/an-overview-of-human-genetic-disorders-with-special-reference-to-africanamericans-2155-9821-1000e139.php?aid=63273

hereditary disorder of Caucasians in the United States and is the most common cause of chronic

Age related macular degeneration is a loss of function of the macula, it is more commonly known as AMD. AMD is the most common cause for vision loss in adult s over the age of 55. The macula, located in the central part of the eye, is what is being damaged. This part of the eye is what enables us to see substances that are directly in front of the field of vision.

Macular Degeneration is a disease that affects the retina of the eye. The retina is a layer in the back of the eye that helps us to see. It is also the lining of the eye that helps us respond to light. However, when having macular degeneration there are major changes in a person's central vision. The disease causes central images to appear blurred and then dark spots may begin to appear that get larger and larger. It may also be very hard to see straight lines as Macular Degeneration may cause them to be curved. When having this disease color may appear to be darker and less vivid than normal.

Health state utilities were not collected during the FAME studies. Therefore, the model used utilities that were reported in the published, peer-reviewed literature. In a study by Brown et al., VA related utilities were derived from a sample of 72 patients from the United States with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) patients using the time trade-off (TTO) technique.29 Most patients (77.8%) had edema (primarily wet AMD), which is clinically like DME (as a result, this was the utility source selected for the base case analysis in the model). In contrast, another report by Brown et al., derived utilities based on a mix of patients with various eye diseases, with only a small proportion having macular edema.30 Other sources of utility data identified in the literature include Czoski-Murray et al.31 and Heintz et al.32. This utility estimates from studies were used in the sensitivity analysis and made available for easy application in the final submitted model. As the Brown et al.29 study did not report utilities associated with BCVA between the range of BCVA35 and BCVA50, the un-weighted average utilities above and below this range of BCVA have been applied (Table 6).

In the Blue Mountain Eye Study, one serving of fish per week was associated with reduced risk of early AMD onset among patients with less than the median baseline alpha-linoleic acid consumption (Krishnadev, Meleth, & Chew, 2010). In a prospective study of participants in the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) and Health Professionals Study, diets that were high in omega-3 LCPUFAs were inversely associated with risk of AMD when intake of linoleic acid was low at baseline (Semba, 2007). The NHS and Health Professionals’ Follow-up Study, consisting of 72,000 participants, indicated that individuals with the highest DHA intakes are at a reduced risk for AMD. In an intervention trial, participants with a high intake of DHA showed increased macular pigment optical density (MPOD), which is an indicator of healthy retinas (Schleicher, Weikel, Garber & Taylor, 2013). Data was compiled from meta-analyses, population-based cohort studies, and case-controlled trials from Medline, Pubmed, The Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar shows that patients with intermediate risk of AMD or advanced AMD benefit from omega-3 fatty acids (Sin, Liu & Lam, 2013).

Eyes are considered one of, or the most important of the five senses and one that is taken with huge appreciation, but many are unaware of the certain risk factors that are performed daily which can influence the quality of vision in the long term. According to the According to the Centers for disease control and prevention (2013) in the United States, the most common eye disorders are age related and can lead to reduction in vision or complete blindness; they include: age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and cataracts. Smoking is commonly known to cause certain cancers and heart diseases, but not commonly associated with its effect on the visual system and its link to the development of these common conditions. According to Rennie et al. (2012) ‘forty-seven percent knew of the link between smoking and eye disease’. To try and promote the influence cigarettes have on the visual system, the Royal national institute for blind people (2011) has suggested including pictures and a helpline number on each cigarette packet to deter the smokers. Moreover, one of the many side effects of smoking is that it raises blood pressure. Therefore, alongside recommendations to refrain from smoking to prevent an increase in pressure, there are certain nutrients that are known to decrease blood pressure. These can prove to be a very effective treatment for ocular diseases linked to diabetes such as diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma. Despite the harmful effects of

Both pathologic mechanisms converge on cellular pathways that lead to photoreceptor death, which is the ultimate cause of visual loss in AMD. Recent advances in retinal imaging technology, including noninvasive, high-resolution spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy imaging, have improved early diagnosis as well as disease monitoring during treatment. The development and application of an anti vascular endothelial growth factor or anti-VEGF therapy has led to an improvement in functional outcomes for patients affected by the "wet," neovascular form of the disease, and reducing the incidence of blindness in the elderly. These drugs work by stopping a protein called vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) produced by cells in the retina from working. While the introduction of anti-VEGF therapy has improved outcomes, there are

Macular degeneration is the second most common cause of blindness in people over the age of 50, and it is frequently related to the aging process. It is a disorder of the retina where the cells of the macula degenerate until only the periphery vision remains. Women, Caucasians, and Asian Americans seem to be more vulnerable when compared to males, Mexican Americans, and Africans. Macular degeneration specifically effects individuals ability to read, recognize people’s faces, choose clothes, view pictures, and to play or view sports. Age-related macular degeneration is divided into the three categories of early, intermediate, or advanced. 70%-90% of age-related macular degeneration are caused by the early category. It is characterized by the

The “poor” diet of the southern Mediterranean consisting mainly of fruits and vegetables. Beans and nuts, healthy grains, fish, olive oil, small amounts of dairy, and red wine, proved to be much more likely to lead to lifelong good health.” (Tufts University Health and nutrition letter,2013). Researchers analyzed the diets of 883 people age 55 and older for two years and found that the more closely they followed the Med diet, the lower their risk for AMD. Fifty percent of those who didn’t closely follow the diet had AMD, while 39 percent who closely adhered to the diet had AMD—a 35 percent lower risk in comparison ( Med Diet Cuts Macular Degeneration Risk ,(2017). This is supported also by the article “Eat more like a Mediterranean to protect your eyes”, where a high consumption of fish, fish oil, nuts and lutein and zeaxanthin obtained from eating vegetables reduced the risk of AMD. It goes on to state later that it involves a decrease in oxidative stress and inflammation that play a role in AMD formation. As stated by Michael Hoster, “Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation can slow or inhibit choroidal

Patients with age-related macular degeneration may not notice any symptoms at first. The first noticeable sign is a gradual, or sudden, change in the quality of vision depending on which type of AMD is occurring. Straight lines will start to appear distorted (Kozarsky, 2017). Early dry AMD is diagnosed by the presence of drusen. This gradually can cause a dramatic loss of the center of vision. In the intermediate stage of AMD, the beginnings of vision loss are apparent, but there still may not be any other noticeable symptoms. At this time, optometrists will test for larger drusen and pigment changes in the retina (“Research into the Genetics of Macular Degeneration,” 2017). Other symptoms of age-related macular degeneration might include an

The pedigreed family shows an excessive portion of family members with cardiovascular disease (coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular disease, peripheral vascular disease) in one half of the subjectssubject’s lineage. The paternal side of the target subject has a sibling, first cousin, uncle, three great uncles, two aunts and great – great grandfather with some form of cardiovascular disease. The maternal side has only a grandfather with cardiovascular disease. If the trait in question Lp(a) were autosomal dominant one would expect around a 50% gene expression in the studied group. Nine of twenty in this particular lineage currently show or have shown disease and two subjects are unable to assess (UTA). This would suggest autosomal dominant inheritance in the paternal half of the target subject lineage with a suspected two subject incidence yet to be found or attributed.

Changes that occur on the long arm of Chromosome 10 (10q26 region) also contribute to the increased risk of developing ARMD. Age-Related Macular Degeneration affects the female population in the United States more than it does the male population. In a 2010 study on Prevalent Cases of Age-Related Macular Degeneration by Gender, 65% of cases affected females and 35% affected males. People who are affected by ARMD do not die as a result of this disease, they mainly suffer from the loss of sharp vision. Physically, the macula of the eye deteriorates as age increases which causes problems in seeing objects clearly and sharply. Age-Related Macular Degeneration has an estimated prevalence of 1 in 2,000 people of the United States as well as other developed countries. The prevalence of ARMD is expected to increase as the population of older people increases. ARMD typically does not have a clear-cut inheritance even though it seems to run in families. It is estimated that 15 to 20 percent of people that develop ARMD have at least one first-degree relative with this