Some dystrophic diseases of the posterior pole of the eye associated with chronic inflammation and viral transmission (review)

Abstract

The medical and social urgency of the problem of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and other degenerative diseases of the posterior pole of the eye is explained, first of all, by the fact that until now the disease is incurable and is characterized by a progressive course. AMD is one of the most common causes of vision loss. The incidence of AMD in Russia is 15 cases per 1,000 people. In the structure of primary AMD disability, patients of working age account for 21%, and due to the fact that there is a clear trend toward an increasing share of the elderly population, there is an annual increase in the incidence of AMD. In the last decade, pathological processes of the retina have become a global problem among people of different age categories, and this group of diseases includes a large number of different retinal dystrophies. In the last few years, there has been a clear trend towards the rejuvenation of such diseases. These changes are the most common causes of vision loss, especially the exudative form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Recent studies have shown that this form of AMD is associated not only with aging, vascular wall weakness and free-radical oxidation, but also with nonspecific immunostimulation and the potential role of cytomegalovirus infection, other viruses and microorganisms as a trigger agent. Not surprisingly, chronic infection of endothelial cells leads to the attraction of macrophages to the area of inflammation, their adhesion and synthesis of anti-inflammatory cytokines, which eventually stimulates the formation or activation of chorioidal neovascularization (CNV).