The Relationship between Statin and Risk of Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus databases were searched for articles that addressed the relationship between statin consumption and risk of AMD. The pooled odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using a random-effects model. Subgroup analyses and sensitivity analyses were also conducted. Cochran's Q test and the I² statistic were used to evaluate the heterogeneity. To assess potential publication bias, Begg's test was used.

In total, 22 studies were reviewed in the meta-analysis that included 2063195 participants and 313702 (15.20%) AMD patients compared to individuals not receiving statins. The OR of AMD in statin-receiving participants was 0.93 (95% CI; 0.83-1.05, P=0.225). The OR of AMD in those that received statins was 0.92 (95% CI; 0.75-1.13, P=0.440) in case-control studies, 0.95 (95% CI; 0.82-1.09, P=0.458) in cohort studies, 0.951 (95% CI; 0.59-1.53, P=0.831) in cross-sectional studies, 0.94 (95% CI; 0.80-1.10, P=0.468) in North America, 0.81 (95% CI; 0.54-1.21, P=0.308) in Europe, 1.05 (95% CI; 0.94-1.18, P=0.362) in Asia, and 0.52 (95% CI; 0.26-1.04, P=0.125) in Australia. No publication bias was observed in this study (P=0.114).

According to the results of this study, taking statins does not increase or decrease the risk of AMD development. Therefore, this drug group cannot be considered a protective or risk factor for the occurrence of AMD.