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Study finds higher than expected AMD prevalence among Asian populations
Ophthalmology. 2010;117(5):921-927.
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In contrast to popular assumptions about a lower prevalence of age-related macular degeneration among Asian individuals, a meta-analysis has concluded that risk for Asian individuals may be on par with risk in white individuals.
In reviewing nine studies on reported AMD rates among four Asian populations, researchers noted a pooled prevalence of early-stage disease of 6.8% among individuals between the ages of 40 to 79 years and a prevalence of 0.56% of late-stage disease. Pooled analysis of individuals from population-based studies focused largely on white populations showed a prevalence of 8.8% for early-stage disease and 0.59% for late-stage disease. There were no significant differences in the pooled prevalence for early- or late-stage disease between the populations in this age group.
According to the study authors, in subjects older than 80 years, "We could not conclude that there were differences in the prevalence of AMD between Asian and white populations because of the relatively small numbers in this older age group with limited available data."
Asian men had a higher prevalence (18.6%) than white men (10.1%), whereas Asian women had a lower prevalence (2.6%) than white women (19.1%); however, 95% confidence intervals overlapped for both men and women, and the differences were not statistically significant.
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