For daily aspirin users, likelihood of disorder increases with increasing severity of AMD
FRIDAY, Jan. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Frequent use of aspirin in patients aged 65 years and older is associated with early aging macula disorder (AMD) and wet late AMD, according to a study published in the January issue of Ophthalmology.
Paulus T.V.M. de Jong, M.D., Ph.D., of the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience and Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam, and colleagues investigated the correlation between aspirin use and early and later AMD. A structured questionnaire was used to determine aspirin intake and potential confounders for AMD among 4,691 participants, aged 65 years and older, in the population-based European Eye Study from seven centers. Standardized ophthalmic and basic systemic measurements were carried out, and the severity of AMD was graded according to the modified International Classification System using digitized fundus images.
The researchers found that early and late AMD were present in 36.4 and 3.3 percent of participants, respectively. Monthly, weekly, and daily aspirin use was reported by 42.1, 7, and 17.3 percent of participants, respectively. After adjusting for potential confounders, for daily aspirin users, there was a steady increase in the odds ratios (ORs) with increasing severity of AMD grades (OR for grade 1, 1.26; OR for grade 2, 1.42; and OR for wet late AMD, 2.22).
"Frequent aspirin use was associated with early AMD and wet late AMD, and the ORs rose with increasing frequency of consumption," the authors write.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)