Study results show nicotine exposure increases risk of AMD

SEATTLE – A study of nearly 5,000 people showed that cotinine at the active nicotine exposure level was associated with a 40% increased risk of age-related macular degeneration, according to a presenter here at the American Academy of Optometry annual meeting.

Mark Swanson, OD, MSPH, FAAO, reported that passive smoking was not shown to be associated with prevalent AMD.

Mark Swanson

Swanson told attendees at an academy-sponsored press conference that cotinine is a metabolism byproduct of nicotine exposure and stays in the body much longer than nicotine – 48 to 72 hours.

Swanson looked at data from the 2005-2006 and 2007-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from the National Center for Health Statistics involving adults older than 40 from three ethnic groups: Caucasians, African-Americans and Mexican-Americans. He said 4,671 people had fundus photography and serum cotinine levels.

Some type of AMD was found in 7.1% of these patients, according to the study abstract. Nearly 24% were active nicotine users, and 24% had environmental exposure.

“Cotinine at the active nicotine exposure level was associated with a 40% increased odds of any level of AMD, while environmental level cotinine was not associated with AMD,” according to the abstract. “Among subjects with non-late-stage AMD, 10.3% who indicated they were not cigarette smokers had biochemical evidence of active nicotine exposure.”

Swanson asked attendees: “Is it underreporting, or some other component of tobacco exposure?”