Insights into COVID-19 in age-related macular degeneration

Abstract

Studies have shown that age-related macular degeneration (AMD) patients present a poor prognosis in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). These diseases have completely different etiologies and clinical courses. COVID-19 is a systemic, fast-evolving, and lethal infectious disease. AMD, in turn, is a chronic disease triggered by oxidative stress and is considered the main cause of irreversible blindness in old age. Both COVID-19 and AMD have in common the participation of immunological and inflammatory components arising from the imbalance of the redox state, responsible for the most severe phases of these diseases. Therefore, this study aims to present the triggering pathways of these diseases, as well as analyze the possible molecular mechanisms that increase the severity of COVID-19 in patients with AMD.