MyVisionTest News Archive
Mar 14, 2009
AMD associated with multiple medical problems
A 10-year nationally representative longitudinal study of individuals aged 68 years and older with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) found that persons with AMD had higher rates of visual and functional impairments and had more illness than persons without AMD.
This is a longitudinal retrospective cohort study (January 1, 1994-December 31, 2004) that analyzed Medicare claims data. Beneficiaries aged 68 years and older who had newly diagnosed AMD in 1994 (n = 32,702) were compared with age-, sex-, and race-matched controls who had routine eye examinations and no diagnosis of AMD throughout the observational period (n = 32,702). Main outcome measures included cumulative incidence of vision loss, blindness, hip fracture, depression, and nursing home placement and prevalence of 16 general health conditions.
Individuals with newly diagnosed AMD had higher rates of blindness, vision loss, depression, hip fracture, and residence in a nursing home than those without AMD during the follow-up period. Individuals with AMD also had a higher prevalence of 11 of 16 general health conditions compared with controls.
Diseases that were statistically significantly more common in persons with newly diagnosed AMD included the following (in descending order): liver disease, renal disease, congestive heart failure, cerebrovascular disease, dementia, myocardial infarction and cancer. Incidences of these conditions tended to be higher in the first year following AMD diagnosis; by year 10, only congestive heart failure and paraplegia/hemiplegia were more likely to occur among persons with AMD.
The researchers conclude that individuals aged 68 years and older with AMD had higher rates of visual and functional impairments and had more illness than age-, sex-, and race-matched controls without AMD. They state that their findings demonstrate that the health issues of the AMD population are multifaceted, especially when viewed in a 10-year period, highlighting the importance of a multidisciplinary, integrated approach to the care of elderly persons with an AMD diagnosis.
Read more...
Arch Ophthalmol. 2009 Mar;127(3):320-7
Tags: AMD, cardiovascular disease, depression
A 10-year nationally representative longitudinal study of individuals aged 68 years and older with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) found that persons with AMD had higher rates of visual and functional impairments and had more illness than persons without AMD. This is a longitudinal retrospective cohort study (January 1, 1994-December 31, 2004) that analyzed Medicare claims data. Beneficiaries aged 68 years and older who had newly diagnosed AMD in 1994 (n = 32,702) were compared with age-, sex-, and race-matched controls who had routine eye examinations and no diagnosis of AMD throughout the observational period (n = 32,702). Main outcome measures included cumulative incidence of vision loss, blindness, hip fracture, depression, and nursing home placement and prevalence of 16 general health conditions.
Diseases that were statistically significantly more common in persons with newly diagnosed AMD included the following (in descending order): liver disease, renal disease, congestive heart failure, cerebrovascular disease, dementia, myocardial infarction and cancer. Incidences of these conditions tended to be higher in the first year following AMD diagnosis; by year 10, only congestive heart failure and paraplegia/hemiplegia were more likely to occur among persons with AMD.
The researchers conclude that individuals aged 68 years and older with AMD had higher rates of visual and functional impairments and had more illness than age-, sex-, and race-matched controls without AMD. They state that their findings demonstrate that the health issues of the AMD population are multifaceted, especially when viewed in a 10-year period, highlighting the importance of a multidisciplinary, integrated approach to the care of elderly persons with an AMD diagnosis.
Read more...
Arch Ophthalmol. 2009 Mar;127(3):320-7
