Association of genetic variation on chromosome 9p21 with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy and neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

PURPOSE Polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) contains aneurismal morphologic and histopathologic feature and it is considered to be a possible distinct entity from neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD). In this study, the association of identified risk variants for intracranial aneurysm on chromosome 9p21 with PCV and neovascular AMD in a Chinese Han population was investigated. METHODS The authors genotyped rs1333040 and rs10757278 on 9p21 in 177 PCV patients, 131 neovascular AMD patients, and 182 controls using a genotyping method and direct DNA sequencing. Allele and genotypes frequencies in the PCV and neovascular AMD groups were compared with controls using a free open-source software and binary logistic regression analysis. RESULTS Rs1333040 was not associated with PCV or neovascular AMD. Rs10757278 was significantly associated with PCV [risk allele: A, P (allelic) = 0.014; odds ratio = 1.44; 95% confidence interval, 1.08-1.94], but not associated with neovascular AMD. After adjusting for sex, age, smoking status, history of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and coronary artery disease, the odds ratio for homozygous carriers of rs10757278-A was 2.10 (95% confidence interval, 1.14-3.85) for PCV. CONCLUSIONS The rs10757278 on chromosome 9p21 is significantly associated with the risk of PCV but not with neovascular AMD in the Chinese Han population.