Linking Endometriosis to Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Association between endometriosis and an increased risk of developing age-related macular degeneration

Key Points

Importance:

• Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a chronic, progressive condition that primarily affects the central retina, leading to significant vision impairment.

Highlights:

• This population-based study using Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database demonstrated a significant association between endometriosis and AMD.

What's done here:

• A research team from Taiwan investigated the relationship between endometriosis and AMD by utilizing Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database.
• The study included approximately 54,000 patients diagnosed with endometriosis and a control group of a similar size, matched for age, year of the index date, and comorbidities.
• The occurrence of age-related macular degeneration was compared between the two groups using the Cox regression model to determine incidence rates, and the Kaplan-Meier method to assess the developing risk over time.

Key Results:

• Women with endometriosis had a significantly higher risk of developing age-related macular degeneration compared to the control group.
• The mean follow-up period for women with endometriosis was notably longer than for the control group, contributing to a clearer understanding of long-term AMD risk in this population.

Lay Summary

The macula, the central region of the retina, is crucial for sharp central vision and the color perception. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) primarily affects this area and progresses through different stages, ranging from early to advanced forms. AMD has two main types: dry AMD and wet AMD. In the wet form, inflammation and abnormal blood vessel growth, or angiogenesis, play a key role in causing significant vision loss. These irregular blood vessels beneath the retina can leak fluid, leading to blurred vision. 

A study by Lee et al. from the College of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University of Taiwan, examined the link between AMD and endometriosis in postmenopausal women, using Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research database. Their findings revealed that women with endometriosis, especially those of older age, had a notably higher risk of developing AMD. This risk was further amplified in women with comorbidities such as diabetes mellitus and hyperlipidemia. 

The researchers propose that the shared highly angiogenic and inflammatory characteristics between endometriosis and age-related macular degeneration in postmenopausal women likely underlie their association, as both processes contribute to disease progression through the promotion of aberrant blood vessel formation and sustained inflammatory responses.

They highlighted the importance of monitoring eye health in women with endometriosis and called for further research to uncover the underlying mechanisms.

This study was recently published in Maturitas.

Research Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39914136/