RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Socioeconomic risk factors and age-related macular degeneration in the UK Biobank study
JF BMJ Open Ophthalmology
JO BMJ Open Ophth
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP e000585
DO 10.1136/bmjophth-2020-000585
VO 6
IS 1
A1 Jennifer Lai Yee Yip
A1 Zaynah Muthy
A1 Tunde Peto
A1 Andrew Lotery
A1 Paul J Foster
A1 Praveen Patel
A1 ,
YR 2021
UL http://bmjophth.bmj.com/content/6/1/e000585.abstract
AB Objective There is contrasting evidence on the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the most common cause of visual impairment (VI) in developed countries. This study examines the relationship between SES, cardiovascular risk factors and self-reported AMD.Methods and analysis Over 500000 people participated in the UK Biobank study from 2006 to 2019, with sociodemographic data and clinical measurements collected using standardised procedures. Visual acuity was measured in 117907 participants with VI defined as LogMAR ≤0.3. We used logistic regression to examine the cross-sectional associations between SES and self-reported AMD.Results Self-reported AMD was available for 133339 participants aged 50 and older. People reporting AMD had higher academic qualifications, lower income, were unable to work due to disability, have higher BMI, diabetes and vascular heart disease after adjusting for age and sex. In a multivariable analysis, higher income was protective of AMD and economic inactivity due to disability increased the odds of AMD (2.02, 95% CI 1.13 to 3.61). Both associations were independent of cardiovascular factors, but was no longer significant after adjusting for VI.Conclusions The association between education, employment and household income with AMD was independent of cardiovascular risk factors.