Age-Related Macular Degeneration Tied to Heightened Risk for Rheumatoid Arthritis
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 9, 2024 -- Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is associated with a higher risk for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to a study published online Sept. 9 in Scientific Reports.
Je Moon Yoon, from Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul, South Korea, and colleagues examined the association between AMD with and without visual disability (VD) and the risk of RA. Analysis included 3.5 million individuals who underwent health checkups in 2009 with follow-up until 2019.
The researchers found that 1.24 percent of the cohort were diagnosed with RA. There was higher risk of RA among individuals with AMD, compared to controls, regardless of the presence of VD (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.11; 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.02 to 1.21), when adjusting for lifestyle factors and comorbidities. Different risk levels of RA were seen among individuals with AMD based on VD status (without VD: aHR, 1.13; 95 percent CI, 1.03 to 1.21; with VD: aHR, 0.90; 95 percent CI, 0.64 to 1.27).
"In order to interpret our findings showing that the risk of incident RA did not increase in AMD patients with VD, it is necessary to consider the possibility that RA may be underdiagnosed in this population," the authors write.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted October 2024
Read this next
Global Incidence Rate of Rheumatoid Arthritis Increased From 1990 to 2021
MONDAY, June 16, 2025 -- The incidence rate of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) increased globally from 1990 to 2021, with the heaviest burden born by regions with a high...
GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Exposure Linked to Neovascular AMD in Patients With Diabetes
FRIDAY, June 6, 2025 -- For patients with diabetes, exposure to glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) is associated with an increased risk for incident neovascular...
Low, High HDL Linked to Risk for Age-Related Macular Degeneration
TUESDAY, May 27, 2025 -- Low and high high-density lipoprotein (HDL) are associated with an increased risk for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to a study...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.