Age-related macular degeneration and mortality in older women: the study of osteoporotic fractures.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the association between age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and all-cause and cause-specific mortality in a population of older women.


METHODS
Prospective cohort study.


METHODS
Four U.S. clinical centers.


METHODS
A random sample of 1,202 women with graded fundus photographs at the Year 10 visit of the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures (mean age 79.5).


METHODS
Forty-five-degree stereoscopic fundus photographs were graded for presence and severity (early vs late) of AMD. Vital status was adjudicated from death certificates. Cox proportional hazards models, adjusted for appropriate confounders, were used to estimate mortality hazards ratios.


RESULTS
Prevalence of any AMD was 40.5% at baseline, with 441 (36.7%) having early AMD and 46 (3.8%) having late AMD. Cumulative mortality was 51.6% over 15 years of follow-up. Overall, there was no significant association between AMD presence or severity and all-cause or cause-specific mortality. Because there was a significant interaction between AMD and age in predicting mortality (P<.05 for each mortality type), analyses were stratified according to age group. In women younger than 80, after adjusting for covariates, late AMD was associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality (hazard ratio (HR)=2.61, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.05-6.46). In women aged 80 and older, early AMD was associated with all-cause (HR=1.39, 95% CI=1.11-1.75) and non-CVD, noncancer (HR=1.45, 95% CI=1.05-2.00) mortality. Any AMD was associated with all-cause (HR=1.42, 95% CI=1.13-1.78) and CVD (HR=1.45, 95% CI=1.01-2.09) mortality in women aged 80 and older.


CONCLUSIONS
AMD is a predictor of poorer survival in women, especially those aged 80 and older. Determination of shared risk factors may identify novel pathways for intervention that may reduce the risk of both conditions.
Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research, Northwest/Hawaii, Portland, Oregon.
Kathryn L
KL
Pedula
Department of Ophthalmology, Jules Stein Eye Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California.|Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
Anne L
AL
Coleman
Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.|Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
Fei
F
Yu
Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Jane A
JA
Cauley
Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota.|Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota.|Department of Epidemiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Kristine E
KE
Ensrud
Division of Rheumatology, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland.
Marc C
MC
Hochberg
Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota.|Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota.|Department of Epidemiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota.|Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Howard A
HA
Fink
Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research, Northwest/Hawaii, Portland, Oregon.
Teresa A
TA
Hillier
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000150:complications* / Q000401:mortality*; D058866:Osteoporotic Fractures / Q000150:complications* / Q000401:mortality*; D011446:Prospective Studies
age-related macular degeneration; mortality; older women