An age-related disease that causes blindness, heart disease and stroke
A study revealed that patients with a certain form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which causes blindness, are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke.
This new study, from the New York Eye and Ear Hospital at Mount Sinai, and published in the July issue of the journal Retina, appears to be the first to prove a link between the disorders.
"Over the past three decades, researchers have suggested an association between age-related macular degeneration and cardiovascular disease, but there hasn't been conclusive data on this even," explains lead author Dr. Now, our retina team has answered this important question by focusing on two different types of age-related macular degeneration that can be seen with advanced imaging of the retina.And we discovered that only one form of age-related macular degeneration, which is with subretinal drusenoid deposits, is closely associated with It is closely related to high-risk vascular disease, and the other form, known as drusen, is not."
Dr Smith continued: "If ophthalmologists diagnose or treat someone with a certain type of drusenoid deposit under the retina of age-related macular degeneration, but they appear to be OK, that patient may have significant undetected heart disease, or possibly artery stenosis. We anticipate that in the future, as an improved standard of care, early referral of these patients to a cardiologist for evaluation and possibly treatment will be considered."
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of visual impairment and blindness in people over the age of 65, is caused by damage to the central area of the retina called the macula, which is responsible for reading and driving vision.
One of the main forms of age-related macular degeneration is called Drusen, in which small yellow cholesterol deposits form in the layer under the retina.
The retina can be deprived of blood and oxygen, resulting in vision loss.
Drusen formation can be slowed by appropriate vitamin supplementation.
The other major form of age-related macular degeneration is subretinal Drusenoid deposits (SDD), which is less well known and requires high-tech retinal imaging to detect.
These deposits are also made of lipids and other substances, but they form in a different layer under the light-sensitive cells of the retina, where they are also associated with vision loss.
Currently, there is no known cure for subretinal Drusenoid.
For the study, researchers analyzed 126 patients with age-related macular degeneration using optical coherence tomography (OCT), an advanced imaging system that provides high-resolution cross-sectional scanning of the retina.
The patients also answered questionnaires about their health history, including heart disease and stroke.
Of the patients studied, 62 patients had subretinal Drusenoid and 64 had Drusen.
Fifty-one of the 126 patients (40%) reported having had a previous cardiovascular disease or stroke, and most of these patients (66%) had ADHD.
By contrast, among the 75 patients who had no known heart disease or stroke, relatively few (19%) had subretinal drusenoid.
Statistically speaking, patients with cardiovascular disease or stroke were three times more likely to have subretinal drusenoid compared to patients without cardiovascular disease.
The researchers suggested that underlying cardiovascular disease could potentially threaten the ocular circulation, leading to drusenoid under the retina and eventually causing vision loss and blindness.
Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news