Family history and age-related maculopathy: the Blue Mountains Eye Study.

PURPOSE To assess the associations between stages of age-related maculopathy (ARM) and reported family history of this eye disease. METHODS A cross-sectional study of 3654 subjects from a defined geographical area west of Sydney (NSW, Australia) identified subjects with late age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and early ARM from masked detailed grading of retinal photographs. Interviewer-administered questionnaires provided data on family history of ARM. Logistic regression was used to assess associations, adjusting for other known risk factors. RESULTS A family history of ARM was significantly associated with both late AMD (odds ratio (OR) 3.92; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.34-11.46) and early ARM (OR 2.17; 95% CI 1.04-4.55). The association was highest for neovascular AMD. CONCLUSIONS These findings provide persuasive evidence that a stated family history of ARM is an important risk factor for ARM.

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