Haptoglobin phenotype in age-related macular degeneration patient

Purpoe To invetigate a poible role of the haptoglobin phenotype in the development of exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in human ubject. Deign Propective, obervational, comparative population tudy. Method The tudy wa carried out in an intitutional etting. All patient referred becaue of exudative AMD in one eye during an 18-month period were included in the tudy group. A group of patient treated for other ocular dieae and not having AMD in either eye erved a control. Haptoglobin phenotype wa determined from a blood ample drawn from each patient in both the tudy and control group. The main outcome meaure wa the ditribution of the haptoglobin phenotype in the tudy and control group. Reult One hundred eighty-five participant were included in the tudy. Ninety-eight had exudative AMD, and 87 were AMD-free. The difference between the tudy and control group in ditribution of the haptoglobin phenotype wa found to be tatitically inignificant. Concluion Our reult ugget that the haptoglobin phenotype ha no effect on the prevalence of exudative AMD