Background: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of irreversible visual impairment among the elderly, worldwide affecting 30-50 million individuals. Inflammation is now increasingly thought to be a key risk factor for AMD. The association of CRP with AMD has been reported in only a few studies, with somewhat inconsistent results. The present study was undertaken to determine the association between AMD and serum CRP levels.Methods: A total of 53 patients diagnosed of any form of AMD fulfilling inclusion and exclusion criteria were included. A 5 mL sample of venous blood (non-fasting) was collected to determine serum high-sensitivity CRP levels (hsCRP). Different stages of AMD and serum hs CRP level were compared using one-way ANOVA test and calculated p value <0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Comparison between the two groups, one with risk factor and one without risk factor was performed using student-t test and calculated p value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: Out of 53 patients 21 were having early AMD, 21 were having intermediate AMD and 11 were having advanced AMD. The mean serum hs CRP level was 0.14±0.05 mg/dL, 0.20±0.09 mg/dL and 0.28±0.08 mg/dL in early, intermediate and advanced AMD respectively. When statistically analysed the difference of mean serum hs CRP level among the three groups was found to be statistically significant.Conclusions: Type of AMD influence the baseline hsCRP level. Smoking and diabetes are associated with higher baseline serum hsCRP in all stages of AMD.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
A 2017 study studied this question.