RISK OF AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION IN PATIENTS WITH PERIODONTITIS: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study

Purpose: Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease that results in loss of connective tissue and bone support. Evidence shows a possible relationship between periodontitis and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Methods: This population-based cohort study was conducted using data from the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan, with a 13-year follow-up, to investigate the risk of AMD in patients with periodontitis. The periodontitis cohort included patients with newly diagnosed periodontitis between 2000 and 2012. The nonperiodontitis cohort was frequency-matched with the periodontitis cohort by age and sex, with a sample size of 41,661 in each cohort. Results: Patients with periodontitis had an increased risk of developing AMD compared with individuals without periodontitis (5.95 vs. 3.41 per 1,000 person-years, adjusted hazard ratio = 1.58 [95% confidence interval, 1.46–1.70]). The risk of developing AMD remained significant after stratification by age (adjusted hazard ratio = 1.48 [1.34–1.64] for age
Source: RETINA - Category: Opthalmology Tags: Original Study Source Type: research