Subclinical atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and early age-related macular degeneration in a multiracial cohort: the Multiethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the relationship of subclinical atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its risk factors with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in the Multiethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.


METHODS
This study included 6176 white, black, Hispanic, and Chinese participants aged 44 to 84 years from 6 communities in the United States. Measurements of subclinical CVD were performed according to standardized protocols. Fundus images were graded using the Wisconsin Age-Related Maculopathy Grading System.


RESULTS
In analyses controlled for age, sex, race/ethnicity, and study location, early AMD was associated with a higher serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level (odds ratio per 15 mg/dL, 1.16; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-1.36) and the presence of echolucent carotid artery plaque (odds ratio for present vs no plaque, 0.37; 95% confidence interval, 0.18-0.74) in the whole cohort. Interactions of race/ethnicity and early AMD were found for carotid intima-media thickness, increasing severity of maximum carotid artery stenosis, serum triglyceride level, subclinical CVD severity, and Agatston calcium score.


CONCLUSIONS
Few associations were found between subclinical CVD and CVD risk factors with early AMD. The findings of associations of early AMD with some signs of subclinical atherosclerotic CVD are different among the 4 racial/ethnic groups, which suggests that care must be taken in generalizing from one racial/ethnic group to another.
Klein
Ronald
R
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison 53726-2397, USA. kleinr@epi.ophth.wisc.edu
Klein
Barbara E K
BE
Knudtson
Michael D
MD
Cotch
Mary Frances
MF
Wong
Tien Yin
TY
Liu
Kiang
K
Burke
Gregory L
GL
Saad
Mohammed F
MF
Jacobs
David R
DR
Sharrett
A Richey
AR
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D044466:Asian People; D044383:Black People; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000473:pathology; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000473:pathology; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000208:ethnology*; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000097:blood / Q000208:ethnology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D017539:Tunica Intima / Q000473:pathology; D014481:United States; D044465:White People; D001741:Black or African American
D008076:Cholesterol, HDL