Association between the weight-adjusted waist index and age-related macular degeneration: Results from NHANES 2005-2008

The present study aimed to explore the association between weight-adjusted waist index (WWI) levels, a newly proposed indicator for assessing obesity, and the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). A cross-sectional analysis of 20,497 participants was conducted using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2005-2008 dataset. Trend tests, multivariable logistic regression, and smoothing curve fitting were performed to examine the association between WWI and the risk of AMD. In addition, subgroup analysis and interaction tests were used to test this association in different groups. A total of 5476 participants were included in the study, of whom 420 (7.7%) had AMD. The risk of age-related macular degeneration increased with increasing WWI in all models. In the fully adjusted model, a 55% increase in the prevalence of AMD was observed in the highest tertile (tertile 3: >11.52) of WWI (OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.09, 2.21) compared to the lowest tertile (tertile 1: <10.85). The interaction tests revealed that age, chronic kidney disease, and cardiovascular disease had significant interactions with WWI on AMD risk (P for interaction < .05). This study revealed that higher WWI levels were associated with increased risk of AMD, suggesting that managing obesity according to WWI may reduce AMD risk. However, additional research is warranted to corroborate our results.