• Xue-ying Qin, Jun Tian, Kai Fang, Juan Li, Wen-zhen Yu, Jing Hou, Da-fang Chen, Xiao-xin Li, and Yong-hua Hu.
• Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Peking University School of Public Health, Beijing, China.
• Beijing Da Xue Xue Bao. 2012 Jun 18; 44 (3): 407-11.

ObjectiveTo explore genetic variants robustly associated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) by Mendelian randomization analysis and to examine its causal association with age-related macular degeneration (AMD).MethodsAMD cases and controls were selected from several hospitals nationwide. Their AMD was diagnosed by eye examination, serum HDL-C levels were examined by blood tests, and other informations were also collected including demographic characteristics, high risk behaviors and so on. The genetic loci hepatic lipase gene (LIPC) rs10468017 was used as instrumental variables for HDL-C.ResultsThe study population contained hospital-based 545 AMD patients and 480 controls. The LIPC genotypes were unrelated to all potentially confounding factors measured in this study. In conventional multivariable analyses, the HDL-C level was positively associated with AMD. The odds ratio was 2.00 (95%CI: 1.41-2.86). Instrumental variable analyses (Mendelian randomization approach) showed an increasing odds ratio of HDL-C and AMD, which was 7.15 (95%CI: 0.80-64.13).ConclusionBeing different with previous observational analysis, this study did not support the status of increasing serum HDL-C level as a risk factor for AMD by Mendelian randomization analysis.

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