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Cardiovascular disease, its risk factors and treatment, and age-related macular degeneration: Women's Health

Ronald Klein1, Yingzi Deng, Barbara E K Klein

  • 1Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53726, USA. kleinr@epi.ophth.wisc.edu

American Journal of Ophthalmology
|February 24, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors like smoking, diabetes, obesity, and calcium channel blocker use are linked to late age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in women. Further research is needed on systolic blood pressure and early AMD associations.

Area of Science:

  • Ophthalmology
  • Cardiology
  • Gerontology

Background:

  • Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are leading causes of morbidity and mortality in older adults.
  • Shared risk factors and pathophysiological mechanisms may link CVD and AMD.
  • Understanding these associations can inform preventative strategies for both conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between cardiovascular disease (CVD), its risk factors, and treatments with age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
  • To identify specific CVD-related factors associated with the presence and severity of AMD in older women.

Main Methods:

  • Observational analysis of data from the Women's Health Initiative Sight Examination (WHISE) study.
  • Included 4,288 women aged 63 years and older.
  • CVD and risk factor data collected via questionnaires and examinations; AMD assessed from fundus photographs.

Main Results:

  • Prevalence of any AMD was 21.4%. Late AMD was significantly associated with older age, smoking history (pack-years), higher systolic blood pressure, use of calcium channel blockers, history of diabetes, and greater body mass index.
  • No significant associations were found between late AMD and history of myocardial infarction, stroke, statin use, or white blood cell count.
  • Limited power to analyze exudative AMD and pure geographic atrophy due to small sample sizes.

Conclusions:

  • Smoking, diabetes, obesity, and calcium channel blocker use appear to be risk factors for late AMD in women.
  • The association between late AMD and systolic blood pressure warrants further investigation.
  • Additional research is needed to explore the effects of various CVD risk factors on early AMD development.
Abstract

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