Age-related Macular Degeneration, the most common cause of blindness in developed countries, affects 1.5 million people in the UK alone. An international team of scientists has identified a protein, strongly linked to the Macular Degeneration when its levels are raised in the blood. This discovery is a major step forward in the understanding of the disease.
The protein, called FHR4, was found by the team to be present at higher levels in the blood of patients with Age-related Macular Degeneration, compared to individuals of a similar age without the disease. The findings were confirmed in 484 patient and 522 control samples from two independent collections across Europe.