New
Service for TodaysSeniorsNetwork.com
readers...roll mouse over, click on
highlighted links in stories to review items
from Amazon
Now, keep up to date
with daily feeds of newly posted stories
about America's Seniors...click on the box
to the left
Degenerative Eye Disease more than doubles
Heart Attack and Stroke Risk
Newswise — The progressive eye disease, age
related macular degeneration, or AMD for
short, doubles the risk of dying from a
heart attack or stroke, reveals research
published ahead of print in the British
Journal of Ophthalmology.
AMD affects the centre of the retina (macula) at
the back of the eye, which is used for fine
central vision tasks, such as reading and
driving.
AMD is most common in the elderly, among whom it
is a major cause of untreatable blindness in
developed countries.
The Australian researchers assessed the general
and eye health of over 3600 people, all of
whom were aged 49 years and above in 1992-4
at the start of the study.
Some 2335 people were re-examined five years
later, and 1952 were examined again 10 years
later.
The examinations included physical checks as well
as photographs of the retina.
Deaths, and their causes, among the participants
were tracked against entries made to the
national register.
Among people under the age of 75 at the start of
the study, early AMD was associated with a
doubling in the risks of dying from a heart
attack or stroke within the next decade.
And those with late stage disease at the
start of the study had five times the risk
of dying from a heart attack, and 10 times
the risk of dying from a stroke.
Their findings could have important implications
for treatment say the authors, because there
are some concerns that current treatments
for AMD might increase stroke risk.
Click here to view the paper in full:
http://press.psprings.co.uk/bjo/february/bj131706.pdf
...
...
...