Association between age-related macular degeneration and osteoporosis in US

It has been hypothesized that there could be a potential link between low bone mineral density (BMD) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). This hypothesis has prompted us to conduct a more in-depth exploration of whether an intrinsic association exists between the two. As a result, we undertook a cross-sectional study using the NHANES database to investigate the potential associations between osteoporosis and AMD. A cross-sectional study used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2005 to 2008. AMD was determined by a standardized grading system based on the presence of key features of AMD in color photographs of the macula. The BMD of the spine and femur was assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the relationship between osteoporosis and AMD after adjustment for potential confounders. To address potential non-linear relationships, restricted cubic spline regression was employed. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that osteoporosis was significantly associated with all types of AMD (early and late: OR, 2.25; P < 0.001), early AMD (OR, 2.05; P = 0.003) and late AMD (OR, 4.25; P = 0.022) in women. In men, osteoporosis was not associated with any type of AMD. In women, the status of osteoporosis in the total femoral, femoral neck, femoral trochanter and spine showed a nonlinear relationship with AMD (P for nonlinear<0.05). Our findings suggest that osteoporosis plays a role in AMD development in women.