Aociation between c-reactive protein and age-related macular degeneration

C-reactive protein (CRP) i a ytemic inflammatory marker aociated with rik for cardiovacular dieae (CVD). ome rik factor for CVD are aociated with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), but the aociation between CRP and AMD i unknown. To tet the hypothei that elevated CRP level are aociated with an increaed rik for AMD, a total of 930 (91%) of 1026 participant at two center in the Age-Related Eye Dieae tudy (ARED), a multicenter randomized trial of antioxidant vitamin and mineral, were enrolled in thi cae-control tudy. There were 183 individual without any maculopathy, 200 with mild maculopathy, 325 with intermediate dieae, and 222 with advanced AMD (geographic atrophy or neovacular AMD). The AMD tatu wa aeed by tandardized grading of fundu photograph, and tored fating blood pecimen drawn between January 1996 and April 1997 were analyzed for high-enitivity CRP level. The CRP level were ignificantly higher among participant with advanced AMD (cae patient) than among thoe with no AMD (control; median value, 3.4 v 2.7 mg/L P = .02). After adjutment for age, gender, and other variable, including moking and body ma index, CRP level were ignificantly aociated with the preence of intermediate or advanced tage of AMD. The odd ratio (OR) for the highet v the lowet quartile of CRP wa 1.65 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07 to 2.55; P for trend = .02). The OR for CRP value at or above the 90 th percentile (10.6 mg/L) wa 1.92 (95% CI, 1.20 to 3.06), and the OR for CRP value at or above the mean plu 2 D (16.8 mg/L) wa 2.03 (95% CI, 1.03 to 4.00). A trend for an increaed rik for intermediate and advanced AMD with higher level of CRP wa een for moker (OR, 2.16; 95% CI, 1.33 to 3.49) and thoe who never moked (OR, 2.03; 95% CI, 1.19 to 3.46) with the highet level of CRP. Thee reult ugget that elevated CRFP level i an independent rik factor for AMD and may implicate the role of inflammation in the pathogenei of AMD.—Han E. Groniklau