Study Reveals Association Between Cardiac Arrhythmias and Macular Degeneration Risk
USA: A recent study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, which took place from October 18 to 21 in Chicago, found that cardiac arrhythmias, including myocardial infarction and atrial fibrillation, are linked to age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Significant cardiovascular conditions, such as myocardial infarction, cardiac valve disease, and ischemic stroke, have been linked to age-related macular degeneration and subretinal drusenoid deposits (SDDs). In light of this, R. Theodore Smith, M.D., Ph.D., of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and colleagues examined the relationship between cardiac arrhythmias and SDDs and the impact of heart failure on cardiac index (CI).
For this purpose, the researchers conducted a study involving 55 cardiac patients aged 49 to 91 at Mount Sinai Hospital. The patients underwent spectral domain optical coherence tomography scans to assess the presence of subretinal drusenoid deposits. Patient charts were then reviewed for cardiac index and arrhythmias.
The following were the key findings of the study:
- Cardiac arrhythmias may contribute to developing subretinal drusenoid deposits through ocular hypoperfusion. Among the 30 patients with arrhythmias, 15 were found to have SDDs, compared to only five out of 25 patients without arrhythmias.
- The mean cardiac index was significantly lower in patients with SDDs (1.95 ± 0.60 L/min/m²) than those without (2.71 ± 0.73 L/min/m²).
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