Association between atrial fibrillation and age-related macular degeneration: A multinational cohort study

To assess whether atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with an increased risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

This multinational retrospective cohort study included individuals aged 50 years or older, with or without AF at baseline, from healthcare organisations across 21 countries during 2015-2020 in the TriNetX database. Participants were classified into those with and without AF, and followed for up to 5 years to observe the occurrence of AMD, including both dry and wet forms, and other cerebrovascular outcomes. The AF and non-AF groups were 1:1 propensity score-matched to balance baseline characteristics and comorbidities. Outcomes were assessed using Cox regression models and Kaplan-Meier analysis.

A total of 113 974 individuals were included in the final analysis. The mean follow-up (standard deviation [SD]) is 4.09 (1.30) years in the AF group and 4.53 (0.95) years in the non-AF group. During follow-up, 1169 individuals developed AMD, 527 developed dry AMD, and 242 developed wet AMD. Compared to individuals without AF, those with AF have a significantly higher risk of developing AMD (hazard ratio [HR], 2.72; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.42-3.11), dry AMD (HR, 2.55; 95% CI, 2.12-3.07), wet AMD (HR, 2.50; 95% CI, 1.90-3.28), and ischemic stroke (HR, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.60-1.73). Across most subpopulations, AF is consistently linked to higher risks of both dry and wet AMD.

Individuals with AF experience a higher risk of developing both dry and wet forms of AMD compared to individuals without AF.