title: Familial trends in a population with macular holes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine if patients with macular hole report an increased family history of macular hole compared with control patients and compare the report of family history between patients with unilateral and bilateral macular holes.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a multicenter case-control study. Charts of patients coded with diagnosis of macular hole were reviewed, and the diagnosis of idiopathic full-thickness macular hole was ascertained in 166 patients. The control group comprised 136 patients without macular hole or trauma who presented with senile cataract. Family history was obtained from all patients through a telephone interview.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Six of 166 (3.6%) macular hole patients surveyed reported a history of macular hole in a primary relative compared with none of 136 (0.0%) control patients (odds ratio is infinity, with 95% confidence interval 1.295 to infinity); however, this finding may be explained by confounders such as age and number of family members. Two of the 142 (1.4%) patients with unilateral holes versus 4 of the 24 (16.7%) patients with bilateral holes reported a family history (odds ratio is 0.0714, with 95% confidence interval 0.0063 to 0.5537), and this finding remains significant when logistic regression is performed to evaluate variables of age and number of family members as potential confounders.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is an increased report of familial occurrence of macular hole in patients with macular holes compared with control patients; however, logistic regression relates this finding to variables of age and number of family members. Patients with bilateral macular holes are more likely to report a family history of macular hole than patients with unilateral macular holes, and this finding remains significant in the presence of age and number of family members. These findings may suggest a familial component to macular hole.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA. christine-kay@uiowa.edu
authors.forename: Christine Nichols
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Kay
authors.forename: Peter Reed
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Pavan
authors.forename: Laurie Buccina
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Small
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Gideon K D
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Zamba
authors.forename: Steven Myles
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Cohen
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida / Q000453:epidemiology; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D007484:Iowa / Q000453:epidemiology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D015995:Prevalence; D012167:Retinal Perforations / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires