The Risk of Brain Hemorrhagic Stroke in Individuals with Age-Related Macular Degeneration Increased....

In the News, older adults with late-stage, age-related macular degeneration may have a significantly higher risk for hemorrhagic stroke than do individuals without the eye disease, a prospective, population-based study suggests.There may be a common underlying process contributing to both age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and bleeding strokes, but more research will be needed to determine if that’s the case, Dr. Renske G. Wieberdink said in a press briefing at the International Stroke Conference.

"We don’t think there’s a causal relationship between AMD and stroke," said Dr. Wieberdink, an epidemiologist at Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. 

During 1990-2007, data on 6,207 adults aged 55 years or older in the Rotterdam Study showed that 30% had early-stage (stage 1-3) AMD and 1.5% had late-stage (stage 4) AMD at baseline. Participants underwent physical examination, blood sampling, and full eye examinations every 3-4 years. During a median of nearly 14 years of follow-up, 726 participants developed a stroke, including 59 intracerebral hemorrhages, 397 cerebral infarctions, and 270 unspecified strokes. 

Researchers found that the risk for any stroke was 56% higher in participants with late-stage AMD than in individuals without AMD after they controlled for the effects of age, sex, diabetes, blood pressure, use of antihypertensives, smoking, cholesterol levels, carotid artery plaques, body mass index, alcohol intake, and C-reactive protein levels. 

Participants with late-stage AMD (either the wet or dry forms) had sixfold higher risk for intracerebral hemorrhage than did cohort members without AMD (hazard ratio, 6.11; 95% confidence interval, 2.34-15.98). 

No significant association was seen between late-stage AMD and intracerebral infarction. Early-stage AMD was not associated with increased risk for any kind of stroke. 

If there is a common mechanism underlying late-stage AMD and intracerebral hemorrhage, it’s unclear what it might be. "In the AMD field, AMD is not considered a vascular disorder, but that should be investigated further," she said. 

For more information regarding this topic, please visit our website athttp://www.maculardegenerationassociation.org/ To learn more about AMD please join us for our Annual Educational Symposium on Saturday, March 26th, 2011 at the Tampa Westshore Marriott in Tampa, Fl. Log onto our website to learn more about this event. As always please consult your physician before beginning a new health regimen. Thank you for your continued support. 

References: http://www.familypracticenews.com/single-view/brain-hemorrhage-risk-higher-with-late-macular-degeneration/5fefede257.html