3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme a reductase inhibitors and the presence of age-related macular degeneration in the Cardiovascular Health Study.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate both the use of cholesterol-lowering medications as a group and the use of statins specifically with regard to the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).


METHODS
A case-control study was conducted using data from the Cardiovascular Health Study, a population-based prospective study of adults enrolled from 4 communities in the United States in 1989 and 1990. Individuals with AMD (cases) and those without AMD (controls) were compared with regard to their use of cholesterol-lowering medications and statins.


RESULTS
Nearly equal proportions of cases and controls used cholesterol-lowering medications, both before adjustment (odds ratio, 0.92; 95% confidence interval, 0.70-1.21) and after adjustment for selected confounding variables (age, sex, and race) (odds ratio, 1.35; 95% confidence interval, 0.98-1.87). Statin use was also found to be similar among cases and controls (odds ratio, 0.98; 95% confidence interval, 0.73-1.30). After controlling for the aforementioned 3 confounders (odds ratio, 1.40; 95% confidence interval, 0.99-1.98), we noted a modest trend for statin users to have an increased risk of AMD.


CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that no association exists between having used cholesterol-lowering medications and AMD. However, there was a suggestion that statin use might increase the risk of AMD.
McGwin
Gerald
G
Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Suite 609, 700 S. 18th Street, Birmingham, AL 35294-0009, USA. mcgwin@uab.edu
Modjarrad
Kayvon
K
Hall
Tyler Andrew
TA
Xie
Aiyuan
A
Owsley
Cynthia
C
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000188:drug therapy; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors