Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Conditions
Keywords
Genetic Association Studies
Brief summary
Age related macular degeneration (AMD) is a multifactorial disease with a strong genetic component. Given that it is known that impaired regulation of choroidal vascular tone is present in patients with AMD, the current study seeks to investigate whether genetic polymorphisms in risk alleles for AMD are associated with altered choroidal blood flow regulation in healthy subjects. For this purpose a total of 220 healthy volunteers will be included. Choroidal blood flow regulation will be evaluated by measuring choroidal blood flow during isometric exercise. In addition, flicker induced vasodilatation will be studied and retinal vessel calibers will assessed, as well as retinal thickness and macular pigment optical density.
Interventions
GENETICthe polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
Sponsors
Medical University of Vienna
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 45 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Men and women aged between 18 and 45 years, nonsmokers * Normal findings in the medical history and physical examination unless the investigator considers an abnormality to be clinically irrelevant * Systolic blood pressure \< 160 mmHg, diastolic blood pressure \< 90 mmHg * Normal ophthalmic findings, ametropia less than 3 diopters
Exclusion criteria
* Regular use of medication * Abuse of alcoholic beverages * Participation in a clinical trial in the 3 weeks preceding the study * Treatment in the previous 3 weeks with any drug (except hormonal contraceptives) * Symptoms of a clinically relevant illness in the 3 weeks before the first study day * Blood donation during the previous 3 weeks * History or family history of epilepsy * Pregnancy, planned pregnancy or lactating
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Choroidal blood flow during isometric exercise (LDF) | 1 day |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Flicker induced vasodilatation, expressed as percent change to baseline (DVA) | 1 day |
| Genotyping (PCR) | 1 day |
| Retinal vessel calibers and AV- ratio (DVA) | 1 day |
| Laser Speckle Flowmetry (LSFG) | 1 day |
Countries
Austria
Contacts
Primary ContactGerhard Garhofer, MD
Outcome results
None listed