Alternative titles and symbols : Maculopathy, age-related, 1;
Description : Age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) is a progressive degeneration of photoreceptors
and underlying retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells in the macula region of the
retina. It is a highly prevalent disease and a major cause of blindness in the Western
world. Drusen, pale excrescences of variable size, and other deposits accumulate below
the RPE on the Bruch membrane; clinical and histopathologic investigations have shown
that these extracellular deposits are the hallmark of early ARMD. As;
Inheritance : Autosomal dominant;
Molecular basis : Susceptibility conferred by mutation in the hemicentin gene (HMCN1, 608548.0001);