Advance in etiology of age-related macular degeneration

Abstract:

Age-related macular degeneration(AMD)is the most common cause of blindness in developed countries. Meanwhile, over the past decade, the incidence increases year by year in China. AMD is classified as atrophic macular degeneration and exudative macular degeneration, always leading to severe central vision loss even blindness in the late stage of AMD. As a degenerative disorder the pathogenesis of AMD remains unclear. Many possible causative factors have been implicated including oxidative stress, lipofuscin accumulation, chronic inflammation, mutation in the complement system, and dysfunctional ocular microcirculation. This review will shed light on the pathogenesis of the disease, especially elaborate the relationship between epigenetic regulation and AMD.

Key words:age-related macular degeneration; pathogenesis; epigenetic regulation