Abstract
Purpose: :
To investigate the relationship between retinal vascular caliber and age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Methods: :
A population based, cross-sectional study of 3,280 (78.7% response rate) Malay Singaporean adults aged 40-80 years. Of these, 3,019 (98%) had fundus photographs with sufficient quality for assessing both retinal vessel caliber and AMD. Retinal vessel caliber was measured using a computer-based technique and summarized. AMD grading was performed at the Centre for Vision Research, University of Sydney, using a modification of the Wisconsin AMD Grading System. Odds ratio (OR) for association between retinal vessel caliber and AMD was estimated per eye, using generalized estimating equation logistic models.
Results: :
Early and late AMD was present in 152 (5.0%) and 19 (0.6%) in this study subjects. The mean arteriolar caliber in eyes without AMD, with early and late AMD was 139.6µm, 139.0µm and 137.5µm, respectively. The mean venular caliber in eyes without AMD, with early and late AMD was 219.2µm, 221.9µm and 213.8 µm, respectively. After adjusted for age, larger venular caliber was associated with early AMD (OR per 1 standard deviation [SD] increment: 1.36, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.11, 1.67). This association remained after further adjustment for gender, smoking, hypertension, diabetes, and body mass index (OR per 1 SD: 1.35; CI: 1.09, 1.66). There was no significant association between retinal arteriolar caliber and early AMD or between arteriolar and venular caliber with late AMD.
Conclusions: :
In this population, larger retinal venular caliber was independently associated with early AMD. This finding may reflect shared pathogenic processes (e.g., atherosclerosis, metabolic abnormalities and inflammation) involving both larger venular caliber and early AMD.
Keywords: clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: risk factor assessment • age-related macular degeneration • blood supply