Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose: To assess the association of smoking and alcohol consumption with advanced age–related macular degeneration (AMD) (geographic atrophy, exudative AMD) in Latinos. Methods: The LALES is a population–based study of eye disease in Latinos (primarily Mexican–American), aged 40 years and older. Each participant underwent a complete ophthalmic examination including stereoscopic macular photography. Macular photographs were graded for AMD using the Wisconsin Age–related Maculopathy Grading System. A history of smoking and alcohol consumption was obtained by interview. Age–sex adjusted logistic regression was used to assess the association of advanced AMD with smoking and alcohol consumption. Results: 5875 participants with gradable photographs were studied. Heavy alcohol intake (>5 drinks per session) was significantly associated with an increased risk of any advanced AMD (OR: 6.3, CI: 1.5, 26.6, p=0.01), and geographic atrophy (OR:10.7, CI: 1.0, 17.0, p=0.05). There was a marginally significant increased risk of advanced AMD with beer drinking (OR: 2.3, CI: 0.9, 5.8, p=0.09), but not with wine consumption (OR: 0.8, CI: 0.2, 2.8, p=0.73). Also, a history of having ever smoked was marginally associated with increased risk of any advanced AMD (OR: 2.1, CI: 0.9, 5.1, p=0.09). These risk relationships were similar between men and women. Conclusions: Heavy alcohol consumption was significantly associated with increased risk of advanced AMD. There was a trend for beer drinking and smoking to be associated with an increased risk of advanced AMD. These associations of smoking and alcohol consumption are important, as they are potentially modifiable risk factors. Further analyses with a larger number of persons with advanced AMD are likely to further elucidate these relationships.
Keywords: age–related macular degeneration • clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: risk factor assessment