Abstract
Purpose :
Reticular Macular Disease (RMD) is a phenotype of Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD), which features subretinal drusenoid deposits (SDD) and choroidal changes. It is an independent risk factor for both AMD progression and earlier death. The purpose of this study is to compare SDD prevalence and subfoveal choroidal thickness (SCTh) in subjects, aged 40-75, with Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) and healthy controls, to see if middle-aged subjects with CAD show early signs of RMD.
Methods :
CAD was defined as history of myocardial infarction, positive stress test, or revascularization procedure. 70 CAD and 54 healthy control subjects completed a questionnaire regarding medical and ocular history, and underwent enhanced depth imaging spectral domain optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT). Images were evaluated for SCTh and SDD.
Results :
Mean age was different between the two study groups; 62 for CAD vs. 55 for controls (P〈0.001). SDD prevalence was 30% (21/70) in CAD subjects, and 7% (4/54) in controls (P=0.003). SCTh was 208 ± 50µm in the CAD group, significantly thinner than the 234 ± 50µm found in controls (P=0.005). In multivariate analysis, SDD depended significantly on CAD status (P=0.03) but not age (P=0.06).
Conclusions :
While previous studies have shown an overlap between AMD and CAD risk factors, the choroidal alterations seen in RMD could be the overt vascular substrate for this link. Our results suggest that early RMD, seen as an increased prevalence of SDD and thinner choroids, appears in the CAD group. Importantly, SDD prevalence is higher in the CAD group, even after controlling for the effect of age. These relationships may hold importance for understanding both the AMD and CAD disease processes, which could lead to improved care of both these populations.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2016 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, Wash., May 1-5, 2016.