Association between vascular endothelial growth factor +936 C/T gene polymorphism and age-related macular degeneration.

OBJECTIVES

The pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) remains unknown. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is an important regulator of angiogenesis and a target for inhibition therapy in wet AMD. This study investigated the association between the VEGF +936 C/T gene polymorphism and AMD, in a Chinese Han population.

METHODS

Patients with AMD, and age- and sex-matched controls were enrolled. Restriction fragment length polymorphism was used to analyse the VEGF +936 polymorphism in the promoter and the 3' untranslated region of the gene.

RESULTS

The study included 200 AMD patients and 200 control subjects. There was a significantly higher prevalence of the TT genotype among AMD patients (9.0%) compared with controls (3.5%); the odds ratio for this genotype in AMD patients was 2.73 (95% confidence intervals 1.11, 6.68). There were no significant associations between any genotype and AMD subphenotypic categories (early, geographic atrophy, choroidal neovascularization).

CONCLUSIONS

The present study findings suggested that the VEGF +936 TT genotype was associated with AMD among Han Chinese patients.