Age, Gene/environment Susceptibility Study In Iceland - Ocular Component

National Eye Institute

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

The NIH funding commitment to the AGES study ended in 2017, although the analysis of data made possible by the NIH investment continues to result in publications and to reap insights. In the AGES cohort we have been able to assess various profiles of health, disease, and physical function and study how the interplay of factors influences survival and quality of life in old age. There have been numerous published manuscripts on the prevalence and risk factors of eye disease as well as others describing the functional correlates of impaired sight in persons exhibiting clinical signs of disease in other organ systems, including the brain. For example, AGES data confirms that retinopathy lesions are found in older people who do not have diabetes; lesions in persons without diabetes constitute the majority (78%) of retinopathy cases. Usually the retinal lesions are mild. Kidney dysfunction is also likely to be present in affected individuals. AGES is a member of the Cohort for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology (CHARGE) consortium. As such, it is involved in genetic meta-analysis for discovery or replication of genetic variants of disease. AGES has partnered with international collaborators and published papers on the genetic basis of retinal vessel caliber, retinopathy, and age-related macular degeneration. AGES remains an active collaborator in the European Commission-funded grant (613977), Food-based solutions for optimal Vitamin D nutrition and health through the life cycle (ODIN; www.odin-vitd.eu) project, which standardized 25(OH)D values building on the NIH-led international Vitamin D standardization program and studies the prevalence and impact of Vitamin D levels on health of populations across the European continent. For more information on the AGES study (design, progress and findings), see http://www.hjarta.is/english/ages. Refer to project bibliography on the study website for additional published papers, as well as in PubMed. See also ZIAAG007380 and ZIAG006000(Dr. Harris).