1. DEGENERAZIONE MACULARE LEGATA ALL'ETÀ: IL RUOLO DEGLI INIBITORI DEL VEGF.
- Author
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Cannizzo, Paola
- Subjects
- *
RETINAL degeneration , *DEGENERATION (Pathology) , *RETINAL diseases , *VISUAL pigments , *PHOTORECEPTORS , *SENSE organs , *CARCINOGENESIS , *GENETIC toxicology , *CARCINOGENICITY - Abstract
Age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) is a disease leading to legal blindness in individuals over the age of 50 years in advanced countries. It involves choriocapillaries, Bruch's membrane, retinal pigment epithelium and photoreceptors. Two subgroups of ARMD are distinguished: the atrophic or dry form and the exudative or wet form. Pathogenesis of ARMD is multifactorial and, for the wet form, the most important mechanism is the higher activity of VEGF than VEGF inhibitors. Angiography and OCT are used for the diagnosis, other than the characteristic symptoms. The treatment is possible only for the wet form and it depends on the type of lesion and its seat: the treatment with anti-VEGF is the only therapy that obtain the best result, retarding the progression of the pathology and improving patient's visual acuity. New lease of treatment include combination therapy: anti-VEGF and verteporfin photodynamic therapy anti- VEGF and anti-PDGF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2010
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