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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Researchers are gaining a new understanding of a major cause of blindness among older people.
Investigators from the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom have linked age-related macular degeneration (AMD) to variations in the SERPING1 gene. SERPING1 is responsible for producing proteins in the eye that remove foreign material and infections.
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Our findings add to the growing understanding of the genetics of age-related macular degeneration, which should ultimately lead to novel treatments for this common and devastating disease, write the authors.
The researchers located the variations by first comparing genes in British people with and without AMD. The results revealed one SERPING1 variation that was significantly more common in AMD patients than in those without AMD.
From there they conducted a similar analysis using people in the United States. The first variation turned up in that study as well, along with another five variations that may be associated with the condition.
Doctors say they need a greater understanding of AMD because it affects as many as 64 percent of people age 80 or older. In 12 percent of cases, people go blind. People with AMD gradually lose their sharp, central vision, which is necessary to complete everyday tasks like driving and reading.
SOURCE: The Lancet, published online October 6, 2008
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