Markedly Lower Rates of Age-Related Macular Degeneration in Malta Compared to European Countries: Results from The Malta Eye Study, Indicating Possible Divergent Genetic Ancestry?
This study reports a relatively low prevalence of ARMD compared to other European settings, with age and male sex emerging as the only significant risk factors. The absence of association with other traditional risk factors may reflect underlying genetic differences or distinct gene-environment interactions. As DNA samples were collected, further investigation incorporating genetic data is warranted to better understand ARMD susceptibility in this population.
Authors
- Francis Carbonaro (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7583-1955)
- Daniel R. Cassar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6472-2780)
- David Agius (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8485-1915)
- Michael Zammit (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-9715-6105)
- Neville Calleja (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1800-2103)
- Julian Mamo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6221-853X)
- Monica Pace
- Xeniya Marku (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7149-4787)
- Maria Christina Nappa
Institutions
- King's College London (GB)
- University of Malta (MT)
- Mater Dei Hospital (MT)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Clinical ophthalmology
- Published
- 2025-10-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.2147/opth.s551852
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Retinal Imaging and Analysis
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.36
Funders
- Research Innovation and Development Trust, University of Malta