Abstract
Purpose: :
To determine the prevalence of age related maculopathy (ARM) in an adult Japanese by population–based study, the Funagata study.
Methods: :
The Funagata Study is a population–based study in adult Japanese with 1,758 subjects(43% of eligible), age 35+ years in Funagata, Yamagata, Japan(2000–02). Retinal photography of right eye was taken using non–mydriatic fundus camera, centered on the region of optic disc and the macula. 1,625(92.4%) participants had good quality photographs suitable for grading of ARM. General examinations and interviews were performed. Fundus photographs were evaluated at the Center for Vision Research, in Sydney, Australia. Early ARM was defined as either the presence of soft indistinct drusen or retinal pigmentary abnormalities with soft distinct drusen. Late stage of ARM was defined to include neovascular age–related macular degeneration(AMD) or geographic atrophy(GA). Large drusen(≥125 µm) was also analyzed.
Results: :
Of 1,625 participants, 57(3.5%) had signs of early ARM. The prevalence of early ARM increased with age from 0.8% in those 35 to 49 years to 9.8% in those 80+ years(p for trend <0.001). The prevalence of soft distinct and indistinct drusen was 15.6% and significantly increased with age in both males and females (p<0.0001). The prevalence of retinal pigmentary abnormalities was 5.5%. GA was present in 4(0.2%) and AMD in 5(0.3%). In participants aged 40+ years, our age–specific prevalence rates of late ARM (0%, 0%, 0.7%, 0%, 0.4%, 1.3%, 1.9% and 0% for the age groups of 40–49, 50–54, 55–59, 60–64, 65–69, 70–74, 75–79 and 80+, respectively) were similar to that in blacks, and rates of large drusen (3.2%, 8.1%, 15.4%, 12.1%, 24.0%, 23.8%, 30.8% and 29.3%, respectively) were similar to that in whites, reported by the Eye Disease Prevalence Research Group.
Conclusions: :
In this Japanese population, we found prevalence of large drusen similar to that in whites but the prevalence of late ARM in persons aged 80+ years was similar to that in blacks, substantially lower than the whites of similar age peers. Whether life expectance or low participation among the oldest group plays a role in the difference in late ARM prevalence for those aged 80+ years deserves further investigation.
Keywords: age-related macular degeneration • clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: prevalence/incidence • drusen