Liver patients at AMD risk

Liver transplant patients have an increased risk of developing AMD, according to a study from Southampton General Hospital.

Researchers, led by Professor Andrew Lotery, found that 65 per cent of patients had some form of AMD and recommended regular optician monitoring for all liver transplant patients.

Published in Ophthalmology, the study examined 223 Western European patients aged 55 and over who had liver transplants at least five years ago, to find out more about the link between liver transplant and AMD.

Scientists knew that a mutation which caused the component factor H (CFH) in the liver to produce abnormal proteins was more common in AMD sufferers. The team examined for mutations in the CFH gene in recipients' blood and in donor tissue, and found AMD was associated with the CFH gene mutation in the recipients' original liver - receiving a liver with or without it had no effect on the development of the disease.