Article
Inflammatory markers in relation to age-related maculopathy (ARM): results of the Muenster Age and Retina Study (MARS)
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Published: | September 22, 2004 |
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Outline
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Objective
Recently, results from the AREDS-study pointed out a relation between inflammation and age-related maculopathy (ARM). We evaluated the association between blood levels of inflammatory markers (high-sensitivity-CRP, fibrinogen) and age-related maculopathy.
Methods
The Muenster Age and Retina Study (MARS) is a prospective study which investigates factors associated with the progression of ARM. At baseline, about 1,060 patients underwent physical and ophthalmological examination and a detailed interview. Blood was collected for biochemical analysis. The ARM status was assessed by standardized grading of digital fundus photographs. 974 eye pairs were included in the present analysis. The association of serum concentrations of hs-CRP and fibrinogen with the prevalence of ARM was assessed univariately and adjusted for cofactors by multiple logistic regression.
Results
Of the 974 eligible participants (mean age 70.8±5.5 years, 60.4 % female), 21.3 % had a normal bilateral fundus, 47.8 % showed signs of early ARM (uni- or bilateral) and 30.8 % of late ARM (in at least one eye). High-sensitivity-CRP and fibrinogen serum levels were significantly associated with the presence of ARM. The odds ratios (OR) for the highest vs. lowest quartile were 1.78 (95% CI, 1.13-2.80) for hs-CRP and 1.83 (95% CI, 1.17-2.86) for fibrinogen. After adjustement for age, sex, smoking and other variables, the odds ratios (OR) for hs-CRP (1.98; 95% CI, 1.11-3.52) and fibrinogen (1.75; 95% CI, 1.02-3.02) remained essentially unchanged.
Conclusions
In the baseline examination of MARS, we confirmed results from the AREDS-study, found an association between inflammatory markers and the prevalence of age-related maculopathy (ARM).