Heavy Drinking and the Risk of Macular Degeneration in Latinos

Data on the relationship between alcohol and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are conflicting. Further, few studies have assessed this relationship among Latinos. In a population-based, cross-sectional study, researchers explored whether alcohol intake and other behaviors affected the risk of developing early or advanced AMD among Latinos in California. Of 5875 subjects, 551 had early AMD and 25 had advanced AMD. Analyses were adjusted for age.

• Subjects who drank >5 drinks on any day in the past year were significantly more likely than abstainers to have any advanced AMD (odds ratio [OR] 8.7) or retinal pigment epithelium depigmentation (OR 1.8), a marker for early AMD. These associations remained significant in analyses adjusted for sex and smoking.
• Beer drinkers were significantly more likely than non-beer drinkers to have any advanced AMD (OR 2.9). This finding became nonsignificant in analyses adjusted for sex and smoking.
• Wine drinkers, however, were significantly less likely than non-wine drinkers to have increased retinal pigment (OR 0.7), a marker for early AMD.

Comments:

This rather large study of Latinos with age-related macular degeneration suffers from very few cases of advanced AMD and inadequate adjustment for confounding. The weak positive association between advanced AMD and beer consumption and the weak inverse association between early AMD and wine consumption have been reported in some, but not all, previous studies. Further research is required to clarify whether alcohol use affects age-related macular degeneration.

R. Curtis Ellison, MD

Reference:

Fraser-Bell S, Wu J, Klein R, et al. Smoking, alcohol intake, estrogen use, and age-related macular degeneration in Latinos: the Los Angeles Latino Eye Study. Am J Ophthalmol. 2006;141(1):79–87.