Patients with AIDS at Higher Risk of Developing AMD

Newswise — Denver, Colo. – Patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) have a four-fold increase in their risk of developing intermediate-stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD) compared to people of the same age who are not infected with HIV, according to results from the Longitudinal Study of the Ocular Complications of AIDS (LSOCA). The research is being presented at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) this week in Denver, Colo.

To determine how AIDS may contribute to AMD, Dr. the research team enrolled 1,825 patients ages 13-73 years with AIDS at 19 sites in the U.S. between 1998 – 2011. The investigators graded retinal photographs for AMD and compared participants in the LSOCA cohort to published data on an HIV-uninfected, age-matched population from the Beaver Dam Offspring Study, which also graded retinal photographs for AMD features. The results showed that the prevalence of intermediate-stage AMD in patients with AIDS was nearly 10 percent and, when adjusted for any age differences, was approximately four-fold greater than that in the Beaver Dam Study.

Abstract Title: Prevalence of Intermediate-Stage Age-Related Macular Degeneration in Patients with the Acquired Immunodeficiency SyndromePresentation Start/End Time: Mon, May 4, 8:30 – 10:15amLocation: Exhibit HallAbstract Number: 1409 - A0104

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The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) is the largest eye and vision research organization in the world. Members include nearly 12,000 eye and vision researchers from over 75 countries. ARVO advances research worldwide into understanding the visual system and preventing, treating and curing its disorders.

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