A rare variant in CFH directly links age-related macular degeneration with rare glomerular nephropathies

Alan F Wright1

  • 1Medical Research Council Human Genetics Unit at the Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Edinburgh, UK. alan.wright@hgu.mrc.ac.uk

Nature Genetics
|November 29, 2011
PubMed

A careful analysis of risk haplotypes in relation to age-related macular degeneration (AMD) susceptibility has led to the identification of a rare, high-penetrance variant in the complement factor H (CFH) gene that is also causally associated with atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) and related glomerulopathies. This finding provides a convincing causal mechanism linking the two diseases and develops a paradigm for the genetic architecture of a common and complex disease.

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