Purpose
To describe self-reported health risk behaviors in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and to examine the independent associations between controversial risk factors and AMD.
Methods
A cross-sectional study evaluating the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) database (2006-2010) on individuals 40 years or older reporting an AMD diagnosis. We analyzed health-risk behaviors in these individuals and also the association between AMD and several potential risk factors.
Results
Among self-reporting AMD patients, 76.5% had a fundus examination within 12 months of survey date, while 12% of these individuals did not have a fundus exam in more than 2 years (Table 1). Reasons for not having a recent fundus exam varied by age group (Table 2). Smoking rates in Individuals with AMD were not different from individuals without AMD (p>0.05). Multivariate regression showed a significant association between AMD and exercise, history of myocardial infarction, history of coronary artery disease and current asthmatic status after controlling for relevant covariates. No significant associations were seen between AMD and stroke, aspirin use, former asthmatic status and heavy alcohol drinking.
Conclusions
AMD patients continue to smoke at the same rate as patients without AMD. Understanding the reasons hindering AMD patients from acquiring timely fundus examinations may be important in patient education and disease management. Cardiovascular diseases may be associated with AMD independent of traditional cardiovascular risk factors.
Keywords: 464 clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: risk factor assessment •
459 clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: biostatistics/epidemiology methodology •
412 age-related macular degeneration