In a recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine, it was anticipated that COVID-19 and Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) share genetic risk factors. A study was planned and carried out, revealing a novel relationship between the two diseases with variants in the PDGFB gene. This gene produces platelet-derived growth factor (Pdgf), which is implicated in AMD′s aberrant blood vessel alterations and plays a function in developing new blood vessels.

According to reports, AMD carries a larger chance of developing severe SARS-CoV-2 consequences, such as respiratory failure and mortality (25%), than Type 2 diabetes (21%) or obesity (13%). Additionally, they discovered that AMD, which is most likely brought on by genetic susceptibility to complement protein deficiency and a greater amount of Pdgf in blood serum, was linked to worse COVID-19 outcomes.

The research team used huge genetic datasets to conduct a genome-wide search for polymorphisms that are jointly related with AMD and each of the three outcomes of the COVID-19 study (infection rate, critical illness, and hospitalization). They analyzed publicly available data from patients with AMD or COVID-19 and control groups to assess the association of variants in PDGFB with the gene activity. Finally, they employed an analytical technique to investigate causal relationships between PDGFB gene variants, PDGFB concentration in blood, AMD, and COVID-19 outcomes.

The results imply that decreasing serum PDGF levels and PDGFB gene activity, especially in older individuals, may lessen the severity of COVID-19.

(Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/01/230103133755.htm)