Purpose:
This article aims to assess the most frequent risk factors associated to AMD in a Brazilian population.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study with control group was performed in 236 participants aged 50 years and older including 141 affected individuals and 95 controls without disease, all current patients from the Department of Ophthalmology-Otorhinolaryngology of Clinical Hospital, Faculty of Medical Sciences - UNICAMP. Data including demographic factors, ocular and medical history, family history of AMD, lifestyle, smoking and drinking habits was obtained by questionnaire and compared between all groups and the incidence odds ratio were determined for each significant variable.
Results:
Of the 141 AMD cases, 99 (70%) had late AMD in at least one eye (57% neovascular AMD and 13% geographic atrophy) and 42 (30%) had early AMD. Age (OR 1.51; 95% CI: 0.88 - 2.58), positive family history of AMD (OR 6.58; 95% CI: 1.94 - 22.31); presence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) (OR 2.39; 95% CI 1.08 - 5.28), low physical activity level (OR 1.39; 95% CI: 0.82 - 2.37) and high serum cholesterol (OR 1.49; 95% CI: 0.84 - 2.65) were associated to increased risk for AMD. There was a significant association of history of CVD and incidence of late AMD (OR 2.29; 95% CI: 0.81 - 6.44).
Conclusions:
The findings of this report demonstrate that several risk factors are similar in this sample of Brazilian population compared to others worldwide. Although the existence of genetic component is inevitable, any intervention aimed at modifiable components such as lifestyle, diet and early management may reduce the burden of AMD. In future, risk assessment to AMD by determining genetic and environmental risk factors in diverse population will contribute to decipher the pathogenesis of this challenging condition in order to prevent progression of disease, once currently used therapies are only poorly effective, expensive and not free of adverse effects. Meanwhile, potentially modifiable factors may become the focus of public health awareness programs aiming to prevent blindness.
Keywords: age-related macular degeneration • genetics • macula/fovea