Predictive model created for AMD, according to researchers
April 28, 2008
A formula created by researchers at Tufts Medical Center will predict how likely it is for individuals with certain genetic profiles and lifestyle behaviors to develop advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Six genotypes that either increase or decrease the risk for AMD were evaluated. Age, sex, and education as well as smoking status and higher body mass index were incorporated, which increase risk of AMD, and supplemented with a high-dose formulation of antioxidants and zinc, which delays progression of the disease.
Johanna M. Seddon, MD, ScM, professor of ophthalmology, Tufts University School of Medicine, and her colleagues, using their new algorithm determined that several genotypes plus the lifestyle factors could predict progression to the advanced forms of AMD with a certainty as high as 83%.
Research also showed that although AMD has a strong genetic component, healthy behaviors could modify genetic susceptibility.
"Our algorithm could help with the selection of study participants for treatment trials and could one day enable doctors to choose the most efficacious treatment for individual patients," said Dr. Seddon, director of the Ophthalmic Epidemiology and Genetics Service at Tufts Medical Center. "It also gives any older person concerned about AMD, or any patient with early stages or a family history of AMD, even more incentive to avoid risk factors such as smoking and excessive weight."