Increased risk of Alzheimer's disease among patients with age-related macular degeneration: A nationwide population-based study

• Published in: PloS one 2021-05, Vol.16 (5), p.e0250440
• Main Authors: Wen, Li-Yen, Wan, Lei, Lai, Jung-Nien, Chen, Chih Sheng, Chen, Jamie Jiin-Yi, Wu, Ming-Yen, Hu, Kai-Chieh, Chiu, Lu-Ting, Tien, Peng-Tai, Lin, Hui-Ju
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age; Age related diseases; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Alzheimer Disease - epidemiology; Alzheimer's disease; Apolipoprotein E; Biotechnology; C gene; Cardiovascular disease; Cerebrovascular disease; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Cognitive ability; Comorbidity; Complement activation; Complications and side effects; Computer programs; Coronary vessels; Cystatin C; Cysteine proteinase; Data analysis; Databases, Factual; Dementia; Demographics; Development and progression; Diabetes; Editing; Electronic mail; Eye diseases; Female; Funding; Genetics; Gynecology; Health insurance; Health risks; Herbal medicine; Hospitals; Humans; Hypertension; Inflammation; Integrated works software; Kidney diseases; Macular degeneration; Macular Degeneration - epidemiology; Male; Medical science; Medicine; Medicine and Health Sciences; Middle Aged; Neurodegeneration; Neurodegenerative diseases; Obstetrics; Ophthalmology; Osteoporosis; Oxidative stress; Patients; Photoreceptors; Population studies; Population-based studies; Proteinase; Proteinase inhibitors; Retrospective Studies; Risk Factors; Software; Taiwan - epidemiology; Visualization
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0250440

This study aimed to investigate the risk of Alzheimer's disease among patients with age-related macular degeneration and its association with confounding comorbidities. This was a population-based, retrospective cohort study. By accessing data from the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan, we identified 10,578 patients aged 50-100 years who were newly diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration between 2000 and 2012 and 10,578 non- age-related macular degeneration individuals. The comorbidities assessed were osteoporosis, diabetes, cirrhosis, cerebrovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, coronary artery disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Patients with age-related macular degeneration had a 1.23-fold increased risk of their condition advancing to Alzheimer's disease (aHR = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.04-1.46). The younger patients were diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration, the more likely patients got Alzheimer's disease (50-64 age group: aHR = 1.97, 95% CI = 1.04-3.73; 65-79 age group: aHR = 1.27, 95% CI = 1.02-1.58; 80-100 age group: aHR = 1.06, 95% CI = 0.78-1.45). In addition, there were significantly higher risks of Alzheimer's disease for patients with cirrhosis (aHR = 1.50, 95% CI = 1.09-2.06) in the age-related macular degeneration cohort than in the non-age-related macular degeneration cohort. Patients with age-related macular degeneration may exhibit a higher risk of Alzheimer's disease than people without age-related macular degeneration.