OBJECTIVEThe paper aims to evaluate the risk factors for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in elderly Chinese population in Shenyang, a northeast city of China.

METHODSA case-control study was conducted to investigate the risk factors for the prevalence of AMD. Ninety three AMD patients diagnosed by a complete ophthalmic examination were recruited as cases from the outpatient departments of two eye hospitals in Shenyang, while 108 normal subjects of similar age and sex were recruited as controls. A questionnaire was administered among both cases and controls.

RESULTSAMD patients aged 60 years and older accounted for 75.3%. There were significantly higher educational levels, shorter smoking history, less sunlight exposure and cataract, and higher proportion of antioxidants intake in controls than in AMD patients. The frequency of intake of fruits, legumes, fish and shrimps was significantly higher in controls than in AMD patients. In a binary logistic regression analysis, smoking and cataract were the risk factors for AMD (OR: 4.44, 95% CI: 2.27-8.69; OR: 4.47, 95% CI: 2.26-8.85 respectively). The high educational background was a protective factor for AMD (OR: 0.761, 95% CI: 0.51-0.98).

CONCLUSIONA low educational background, smoking and cataract are associated with a higher prevalence of AMD.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Antioxidants ; Case-Control Studies ; Cataract ; complications ; China ; epidemiology ; Dietary Supplements ; utilization ; Educational Status ; Feeding Behavior ; Female ; Humans ; Macular Degeneration ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Risk Factors ; Smoking ; adverse effects ; Sunlight ; adverse effects