Rauchen bei AMD

bei einer amerikanischen Langzeitstudie konnte jetzt festgestellt werden, daß durch Rauchen langfristig das Risiko, eine Makuladegeneration zu bekommen, um knapp 50% erhöht ist.

Gleichermaßen ist das Risiko einer spürbaren Verschlechterung bei vorhandener Makuladegeneration erhöht.

Smoking might raise the odds of developing age-related macular degeneration over the long term by nearly 50%

Smoking also appeared to be associated with the cumulative progression of AMD, according to Dr. Ronald Klein and his associates in the Beaver Dam Eye Study.

The population-based study involved nearly 5,000 residents of Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, who were initially examined in 1987-1988 when they were aged 43-84 years. Follow-up exams were conducted in 1993-1995 and again in 2003-2005, according to the January issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology.

A total of 3,508 subjects were included in the substudy of AMD and smoking. At baseline, 21% of the men and 18% of the women were current smokers, said Dr. Klein and his associates at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

During 15 years of follow-up, 391 subjects developed early AMD, 63 developed exudative AMD, and 39 developed pure geographic atrophy. AMD progressed over time in 400 of these subjects.

Current smoking at baseline was associated with a 47% increase in the odds of developing early AMD. Current smokers also had a younger age at onset of AMD (69.2 years), compared with former smokers (72.3 years) and people who had never smoked (74.4 years).

Smoking also was associated with progression of AMD over time.

There was no association between smoking intensity, measured in pack-years, and either the incidence or the progression of AMD, the investigators said (Arch. Ophthalmol. 2008;126:115-21).

No association was found between exposure to environmental tobacco smoke and either the incidence or the progression of AMD. However, environmental exposure was assessed for only the most recent 5 years of the study, so that relatively short follow-up might have limited the ability to detect an association, they said.

In addition, exposure to secondhand smoke has declined in recent years in the United States, because of public health efforts, further limiting the ability to detect an association with environmental tobacco smoke.

Arch. Ophthalmol. 2008;126:115-21