Associated factors for age related maculopathy in the adult population in China: the Beijing eye study.
BACKGROUND
To evaluate factors associated with the prevalence of age related maculopathy (ARM) in the adult Chinese population.


METHODS
The Beijing Eye Study, a population based prevalence study, included 4439 out of 5324 subjects from a rural area and an urban region of greater Beijing, aged 40+ years and invited to participate (response rate 83.4%). Fundus photographs were graded using the Wisconsin Age-Related Maculopathy Grading system. The following parameters were graded: drusen size, drusen type, and the area covered by drusen; pigmentary abnormalities; geographic atrophy; and exudative ARM.


RESULTS
Fundus photographs were available for 8655 eyes of 4376 (98.6%) subjects. Early age related macular degeneration (ARD), late ARD, and exudative ARD, respectively, were present in 1.4%, 0.20%, and 0.10% of the subjects. In a binary logistic regression analysis, early ARM was statistically associated with age (p<0.001; 95% CI: 1.04 to 1.08), hyperopic refractive error (p = 0.008; 95% CI: 1.04 to 1.28), rural region (p<0.001; 95% CI: 0.17 to 0.49), and lower level of education (p = 0.01; 95% CI: 1.07 to 1.65). Early ARM was not significantly associated with the optic disc size (p = 0.42), and size of beta zone of peripapillary atrophy (p = 0.28), the self reported diagnosis of diabetes mellitus (p = 0.39; OR: 1.37; 95% CI: 0.66 to 2.85), amount of cortical cataract (p = 0.72), subcapsular cataract (p = 0.98), nuclear cataract (p = 0.26), sex (p = 0.23), cataract surgery (p = 1.0; OR: 0.96; 95% CI: 0.13 to 6.95), glaucomatous optic nerve damage (p = 0.77; OR: 0.62; 95% CI: 0.15 to 2.52), and history of smoking (p = 0.66; OR: 1.14; 95% CI: 0.65 to 2.00).


CONCLUSIONS
Hyperopic refractive error besides age was the single most important risk factor for ARM in adult Chinese. Other associated factors were rural region and lower level of education.
Xu
L
L
Beijing Institute of Opthalmology, Beijing Tongren Hospital and Capital University of Medical Science, Beijing, China.
Li
Y
Y
Zheng
Y
Y
Jonas
J B
JB
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006956:Hyperopia / Q000150:complications; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012423:Rural Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014504:Urban Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data