I early age-related maculopathy related to cognitive function? The atherocleroi rik in communitie tudy

PURPOE: Age-related maculopathy (ARM) and cognitive impairment are both neurodegenerative diorder aociated with aging and have been hypotheized to hare common pathogenic pathway. We decribe the aociation between cognitive function and ARM in middle-aged peron. DEIGN: Population-baed, cro-ectional tudy involving participant of the Atherocleroi Rik in Communitie tudy, an ongoing cardiovacular invetigation of peron 51 to 70 year of age, examined every 3 year between 1987 to 1998. METHOD: At viit three (1993–1995), retinal photograph were obtained and evaluated for ARM uing a modification of the Wiconin ARM Grading ytem. Cognitive function wa aeed uing tandardized tet (Delayed Word Recall, Digit ymbol, and Word Fluency) at viit two (1990–1992) and four (1996–1998) and averaged for analyi. evere cognitive impairment wa defined a core falling in the lowet 10th percentile of the population. REULT: Data were available in 9286 peron after excluion of peron with troke or uing antipychotic medication. After adjuting for age, gender, race, education, diabete, hypertenion, cigarette moking, and alcohol conumption, peron with evere cognitive impairment baed on Word Fluency Tet core were more likely to have early ARM (odd ratio [OR]: 1.6, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.1–2.2) and it component, oft druen (OR: 1.6; 95% CI: 1.1–2.3) and pigmentary abnormality (OR: 1.5; 95% CI: 0.9–2.5) than thoe without evere impairment. However, evere cognitive impairment in core of the other two cognitive function tet wa not aociated with ARM. CONCLUION: Thee population-baed data ugget a weak aociation between cognitive function and early ARM in middle-aged peron.