A recent study sheds light on a probable molecular reason, involving obesity, behind the development of AMD or age-related macular degeneration, which is an eye condition linked to irreversible blindness.
Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)
The condition usually comes in two different forms: dry AMD and wet AMD. The former is characterized by fatty deposit accumulations within the back portion of the eye as well as neuron death within the eye. The latter is distinguished by sick blood cells that stem within the macula, which is the sight-generating tissue's most sensitive area.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology reports that the condition is linked to a problematic retina. Central vision is primarily affected. A person with AMD may not be able to see intricate details when viewing something distant or near. However, peripheral vision may still function normally.
SciTechDaily reports that AMD is a major reason for global irreversible blindness. In 2020, the condition affected around 196 million individuals.
Obesity and AMD
According to SciTechDaily, a study conducted at the Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont in Montreal, Canada, showed how daily stressors, including obesity, may lead to immune system changes and be detrimental to the aging eye.
Przemyslaw (Mike) Sapieha, an ophthalmology professor from the University of Montreal and study co-leader, says that they wanted to see why those with a genetic predisposition end up developing AMD while others do not. The study was included in the Science publication.
Sapieha explains that there has been considerable effort dedicated to knowing the genes that attribute to AMD, its mutations and variations within susceptible genes only boost the likelihood of developing the condition but do not directly cause the condition.
Such findings suggest that it is important to learn how other factors, such as lifestyle and environment, affect the development of the condition.
The immune system of someone with AMD ends up being aggressive and dysregulated. Immune cells normally maintain eye health. However, pathogenic contact, including with viruses and bacteria, may lead things to go awry.
Immune cells also become activated when there is bodily exposure to stressors, including surplus fat within obesity. SciTechDaily reports that this makes being overweight the top risk factor, that is non-genetic, for developing the condition.
Throughout the study, Sapieha and co-leader Dr. Masayuki Hata used obesity to serve as their model for exaggerating and accelerating bodily stressors. They discovered that having a history of obesity or transient obesity leads to continuous DNA architectural changes among immune cells. This makes the cells more prone to building molecules for inflammation.
Dr. Hata, who is now a professor of ophthalmology at Kyoto University, says that their findings offer vital data regarding the biology of the cells behind AMD. The findings will also enable more treatments to be developed in the future.
The scientists are hopeful that these findings will lead other specialists to go beyond conditions linked to obesity and explore other illnesses distinguished by neuroinflammation.
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