MINI-COGNITIVE TESTING IN PATIENTS WITH AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION

Risk of Subsequent Dementia or Alzheimer Disease Among Patients With Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

PURPOSE

Alzheimer disease (AD), a common form of dementia, shares several clinical and pathologic features with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Epidemiologic reports on the association of AMD with subsequent dementia or AD are inconsistent.

DESIGN

Systematic review and meta-analysis.

METHODS

The Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology reporting guidelines were applied. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used to evaluate the risk of bias in the included cohort studies that examined the association of AMD with subsequent dementia or AD. We estimated the pooled hazard ratios (HRs) of dementia or AD using random effects model meta-analysis and subgroup analysis on different follow-up periods, AMD subtype, gender, age, study design, and methods to ascertain dementia or AD.

RESULTS

A total of 8 223 581 participants were included in 8 studies published during 2000-2021. The meta-analysis showed that AMD was significantly associated with subsequent dementia (pooled HR 1.22, 95% CI 1.01-1.47) or AD (pooled HR 1.21, 95% CI 1.03-1.43). Our secondary analysis revealed that the association was more noticeable in dry AMD than wet AMD.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with AMD have higher risks of developing dementia or AD, and therefore identifying related comorbidities and retinal biomarkers is much warranted for older adults with AMD in ophthalmologic practice.

Increased risk of Parkinson's disease among patients with age-related macular degeneration

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to investigate the risk of Parkinson's disease (PD) among patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and its association with confounding comorbidities.

METHODS

A population-based retrospective cohort study was conducted using Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000 (LHID2000). We established AMD and non-AMD cohorts from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2012 to determine the diagnosis of PD. A total of 20,848 patients were enrolled, with 10,424 AMD patients and 10,424 controls matched for age, sex, and index year at a 1:1 ratio. The follow-up period was from the index date of AMD diagnosis to the diagnosis of PD, death, withdrawal from the insurance program, or end of 2013. Multivariable Cox regression analysis was performed to examine the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for the risk of PD between the AMD and non-AMD cohorts.

RESULT

After adjusting for potential confounders, there was a higher risk of developing PD in the AMD cohort than in the non-AMD cohort (adjusted HR = 1.35, 95% CI = 1.16-1.58). A significant association could be observed in both female (aHR = 1.42, 95% CI = 1.13-1.80) and male (aHR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.05-1.57) patients, aged more than 60 years (60-69: aHR = 1.51, 95% CI = 1.09-2.09, 70-79: aHR = 1.30, 95% CI = 1.05-1.60; 80-100: aHR = 1.40, 95% CI = 1.01-1.95), and with more than one comorbidity (aHR = 1.40, 95% CI = 1.20-1.64). A significant association between increased risk of PD and AMD was observed among patients with comorbidities of osteoporosis (aHR = 1.68, 95% CI = 1.22-2.33), diabetes (aHR = 1.41, 95% CI = 1.12-1.78) and hypertension (aHR = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.15-1.62) and medications of statin (aHR = 1.42, 95% CI = 1.19-1.69) and calcium channel blocker (CCB) (aHR = 1.32, 95% CI = 1.11-1.58). The cumulative incidence of PD was significantly higher over the 12-year follow-up period in AMD cohort (log-rank test, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with AMD may exhibit a higher risk of PD than those without AMD.

Retinal biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease and vascular cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID): implication for early diagnosis and prognosis

Cognitive impairment and dementia are major medical, social, and economic public health issues worldwide with significant implications for life quality in older adults. The leading causes are Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular cognitive impairment/dementia (VCID). In both conditions, pathological alterations of the cerebral microcirculation play a critical pathogenic role. Currently, the main pathological biomarkers of AD-β-amyloid peptide and hyperphosphorylated tau proteins-are detected either through cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) or PET examination. Nevertheless, given that they are invasive and expensive procedures, their availability is limited. Being part of the central nervous system, the retina offers a unique and easy method to study both neurodegenerative disorders and cerebral small vessel diseases in vivo. Over the past few decades, a number of novel approaches in retinal imaging have been developed that may allow physicians and researchers to gain insights into the genesis and progression of cerebromicrovascular pathologies. Optical coherence tomography (OCT), OCT angiography, fundus photography, and dynamic vessel analyzer (DVA) are new imaging methods providing quantitative assessment of retinal structural and vascular indicators-such as thickness of the inner retinal layers, retinal vessel density, foveal avascular zone area, tortuosity and fractal dimension of retinal vessels, and microvascular dysfunction-for cognitive impairment and dementia. Should further studies need to be conducted, these retinal alterations may prove to be useful biomarkers for screening and monitoring dementia progression in clinical routine. In this review, we seek to highlight recent findings and current knowledge regarding the application of retinal biomarkers in dementia assessment.

Association of Age-Related Macular Degeneration on Alzheimer or Parkinson Disease: A Retrospective Cohort Study

PURPOSE

To determine the association of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) with Alzheimer disease (AD) and Parkinson disease (PD).

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study.

METHODS

The study population consisted of 308,340 participants aged 50 years or older from the Korean National Health Insurance Service-Health Screening Cohort. After exclusion of participants with AMD during 2002, participants were detected for AMD during 2003-2005. Starting from January 1, 2006, all participants were followed up for AD and PD until December 31, 2013. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression was used to calculate the adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for AD and PD risk.

RESULTS

Compared to non-AMD participants, AMD patients had higher risk for AD (aHR 1.48, 95% CI 1.25-1.74) and PD (aHR 1.46, 95% CI 1.14-1.88). The risk-increasing association of AMD with AD (aHR 2.25, 95% CI 1.39-3.66) and PD (aHR 2.02, 95% CI 1.00-4.08) were preserved among participants who were never-smokers, did not consume alcohol, and exercised regularly. Finally, AMD was associated with higher risk of AD (aHR 1.96, 95% CI 1.46-2.65 for age <70 years and aHR 1.53, 95% CI 1.26-1.86 for age ≥70 years) and PD (aHR 1.90, 95% CI 1.29-2.80 for age <70 years and aHR 1.47, 95% CI 1.06-2.04 for age ≥70 years) according to subgroups divided by age.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared to non-AMD participants, AMD patients had higher risk for AD and PD even among those with healthy lifestyle behaviors. Patients with AMD must be closely monitored for possible subsequent development of AD or PD.

Associations between recent and established ophthalmic conditions and risk of Alzheimer's disease

INTRODUCTION

Identifying ophthalmic diseases associated with increased risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) may enable better screening and understanding of those at risk of AD.

METHODS

Diagnoses of glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and diabetic retinopathy (DR) were based on International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision, codes for 3877 participants from the Adult Changes in Thought study. The adjusted hazard ratio for developing probable or possible AD for recent (within 5 years) and established (>5 years) diagnoses were assessed.

RESULTS

Over 31,142 person-years of follow-up, 792 AD cases occurred. The recent and established hazard ratio were 1.46 (P = .01) and 0.87 (P = .19) for glaucoma, 1.20 (P = .12) and 1.50 (P < .001) for AMD, and 1.50 (P = .045) and 1.50 (P = .03) for DR.

DISCUSSION

Increased AD risk was found for recent glaucoma diagnoses, established AMD diagnoses, and both recent and established DR. People with certain ophthalmic conditions may have increased AD risk.

Lower cognitive function in patients with age-related macular degeneration: a meta-analysis

Objective

To investigate the cognitive impairment in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Methods

Relevant articles were identified through a search of the following electronic databases through October 2015, without language restriction: 1) PubMed; 2) the Cochrane Library; 3) EMBASE; 4) ScienceDirect. Meta-analysis was conducted using STATA 12.0 software. Standardized mean differences with corresponding 95% confidence intervals were calculated. All of the included studies met the following four criteria: 1) the study design was a case–control or randomized controlled trial (RCT) study; 2) the study investigated cognitive function in the patient with AMD; 3) the diagnoses of AMD must be provided; 4) there were sufficient scores data to extract for evaluating cognitive function between cases and controls. The Newcastle–Ottawa Scale criteria were used to assess the methodological quality of the studies.

Results

Of the initial 278 literatures, only six case–control and one RCT studies met all of the inclusion criteria. A total of 794 AMD patients and 1,227 controls were included in this study. Five studies were performed with mini-mental state examination (MMSE), two studies with animal fluency, two studies with trail making test (TMT)-A and -B, one study with Mini-Cog. Results of the meta-analysis revealed lower cognitive function test scores in patients with AMD, especially with MMSE and Mini-Cog test (P≤0.001 for all). The results also showed that differences in the TMT-A (except AMD [total] vs controls) and TMT-B test had no statistical significance (P>0.01). The Newcastle–Ottawa Scale score was ≥5 for all of the included studies. Based on the sensitivity analysis, no single study influenced the overall pooled estimates.

Conclusion

This meta-analysis suggests lower cognitive function test scores in patients with AMD, especially with MMSE and Mini-Cog test. The other cognitive impairment screening tests, such as animal fluency test and TMT, need more studies to assess.