Photo Credit: miodrag ignjatovic
The following is a summary of “Risk factors for wet macular degeneration: a systematic review, with novel insights from the Scottish Heart Health Extended Cohort,” published in the February 2025 issue of Ophthalmology by Fitton et al.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to examine risk factors for wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) using data from the Scottish Heart Health Extended Cohort (SHHEC) and a systematic literature review.
They enrolled 18,107 individuals in the SHHEC between 1984 and 1995, collecting risk factor data at recruitment. Hospital records were linked to cohort data until 2017, and survival analysis was applied to examine risk factors for wet AMD. Literature published from 2000 to 2023 was reviewed, yielding 5,503 papers on wet AMD risk factors. After the screening, 7 studies met the inclusion criteria for the systematic review.
The results showed 231 cases of wet AMD within the SHHEC. Advancing age (Hazard Ratio [HR] 10.51; 99% CI 4.78–23.11) and smoking (HR 1.67; 99% CI 1.17–2.38) were linked to higher wet AMD risk, while greater dietary vitamin K intake reduced the risk (HR 0.56; 99% CI 0.34–0.94). The systematic review indicated potential risk factors, including smoking, high body mass index, heavy alcohol use, elevated systolic and pulse pressure, as well as high blood C-reactive protein and serum triglycerides. Evidence remained mixed without definitive conclusions.
Investigators concluded that increasing age and smoking were identified as high-risk factors for wet AMD, while vitamin K was associated with reduced risk.
Source: bmcophthalmol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12886-025-03868-5
