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Smoking may strongly increase long-term risk of eye disease
August 14, 2007Current and past smokers appear to have a higher risk of developing late age-related macular degeneration than those who have never smoked, according to a report in the July issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
"Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) [a progressive eye disease that affects the central portion of the retina] is the leading cause of blindness in the Western world," according to background information in the article. "In addition to smoking, AMD is postulated to share other risk factors with cardiovascular disease, such as elevated cholesterol level and hypertension. Smoking may also interact with AMD gene susceptibility and other environmental risk factors."
Jennifer S. L. Tan, M.B.B.S., B.E., University of Sydney and Westmead Hospital, Sydney, Australia, and colleagues examined 2,454 Australians age 49 and older to study the association between smoking and the 10-year incidence of AMD, as well as the possible links between smoking and other common risk factors. The participants answered a food frequency questionnaire and had retinal photos taken at five-year and 10-year follow-up exams. An interviewer-administered questionnaire assessed participants' smoking status. BMI and blood pressure were also measured.
Current smokers were found to be four times more likely to develop age-related macular degeneration and past smokers were three times as likely to have geographic atrophy, an advanced form of the disease, than those who had never smoked. "Joint exposure to current smoking and (1) the lowest level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) [good] cholesterol, (2) the highest total to HDL cholesterol ratio, or (3) low fish consumption was associated with a higher risk of late AMD than the effect of any risk factor alone. However, interactions between smoking and HDL cholesterol level, ratio of total to HDL cholesterol and fish consumption were not statistically significant," the authors write.
"In summary, the findings from this large population-based prospective study add evidence to a possible causal relationship between smoking and the long-term risk of late, but not early, AMD," the authors conclude. "This supports speculation that AMD is a condition with multiple etiologic factors, and such joint effects contributing to the pathogenesis (origin and development) of AMD could mirror the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease."
JAMA and Archives Journals
Current smokers were found to be four times more likely to develop age-related macular degeneration and past smokers were three times as likely to have geographic atrophy, an advanced form of the disease, than those who had never smoked. "Joint exposure to current smoking and (1) the lowest level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) [good] cholesterol, (2) the highest total to HDL cholesterol ratio, or (3) low fish consumption was associated with a higher risk of late AMD than the effect of any risk factor alone. However, interactions between smoking and HDL cholesterol level, ratio of total to HDL cholesterol and fish consumption were not statistically significant," the authors write.
"In summary, the findings from this large population-based prospective study add evidence to a possible causal relationship between smoking and the long-term risk of late, but not early, AMD," the authors conclude. "This supports speculation that AMD is a condition with multiple etiologic factors, and such joint effects contributing to the pathogenesis (origin and development) of AMD could mirror the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease."
JAMA and Archives Journals
Eye Disease Current Events and Eye Disease News RSSEye conditions linked with obstructive sleep apnea
If a good night's sleep helps the brain and body perform better, it's a good guess that sleep problems can cause more than just fatigue. Numerous studies have shown a connection between sleep disorders and medical conditions such as cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, and metabolic disorders, including the risk of obesity and diabetes mellitus. In the November issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, Mayo Clinic researchers outline several interesting associations between sleep disorders and eye disease.
Sunlight exposure plus low antioxidant levels may place older adults at risk for eye disease
A European study suggests that the combination of low plasma levels of antioxidants and blue light exposure from the sun is associated with certain forms of the eye disease age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to a report in the October issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Keeping herpes infection in check: Pitt researchers describe immune system strategies
Herpes simplex virus type I can cause bouts of cold sores, blindness and potentially lethal encephalitis when it reawakens from a quiescent state in the nerve cells it infects.
Researchers create first model for retina receptors
A team of scientists at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center has created the first genetic research model for a microscopic part of the eye that when missing causes blindness. The research appears in a recent issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
Cognitive problems associated with diabetes duration and severity
Individuals with mild cognitive impairment appear more likely to have earlier onset, longer duration and greater severity of diabetes, according to a report in the August issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Hyperactive immune resistance brings blindness in old age
Age-dependent macular degeneration (AMD) is the commonest cause of blindness in the western industrialised nations. Hereditary changes in the regulation of the immune system influence the risk of contracting AMD.
Study shows pine bark naturally reduces cardiovascular risk factors in diabetics
A new study published in the May 2008 (volume 8, issue 25) edition of the journal of Nutrition Research shows Pycnogenol (pic-noj-en-all), an antioxidant plant extract from the bark of the French maritime pine tree, reduces blood sugar in type II diabetes patients, allows people to lower their antihypertensive medication and improves cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors.
Promising early evidence of the superior benefits of drug therapy for diabetic eye disease
A JDRF collaboration between Johns Hopkins researchers and Genentech has shown that a drug for the treatment of diabetic eye disease has performed better in clinical trials than the current standard treatment using laser surgery.
Hormone use related to lower risk of macular degeneration in postmenopausal women
Women who take postmenopausal hormones appear to have a lower risk of developing advanced stages of the eye disease age-related macular degeneration, especially if they had also taken oral contraceptives in the past, according to a report in the April issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
UK physician revolutionizes gene research
A dramatic new study published in the most recent issue of Nature questions some of the mechanisms underlying a new class of drugs based on Nobel Prize-winning work designed to fight diseases ranging from macular degeneration to diabetes.
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