UKCO Abstracts

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Miguel Gedtal [ 1 ] Jayne V Woodside [ 1 ] David Wright [ 1 ] Margaret Rayman [ 2] Ruth Esther Hogg [ 1 ]

[1] Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, UK
[2] University of Surrey, Guildford, UK
📌 Allocation: Poster (Board No. 26)

Aim:
Some studies have found an association between anthropometric measures of adiposity and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), but few studies have explored the disease association with imaging methods. This study aimed to explore the relationship between AMD status and dual X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) among a representative sample of the United States population, and compare the disease association to anthropometric methods.

Method:
Using a representative sample in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Study 2005-2006 (n=1,632), the differences in DEXA measures of fat mass across the body and around the waist (i.e., android), and relative fat distribution (e.g., percentage fat, android-to-total body ratio) were analysed between groups according to AMD status, namely, those with no AMD vs any AMD and those with no AMD vs early/intermediate AMD. The bivariate analyses across AMD status were similarly performed for anthropometric measures [i.e., body mass index , waist circumference and skinfold thickness of the shoulder and the tricep] and for potential confounders (i.e., demographics, lifestyle, clinical and other health-related variables). Any significant adiposity measures were further analysed using logistic regression, adjusting for potential confounders.

Results:
The participants in the sample were aged 40-69 years [median age (IQR)= 51(13)], were mainly female (52%) and mainly Caucasian(76.5%). Bivariate analysis indicated that having any or early/intermediate AMD was positively associated with android-to-total fat ratio and subscapular skinfold thickness (SSFT). Other anthropometric and DEXA-measured variables were not signficant. After controlling for age, gender and prescription of cholesterol-lowering medicine, only SSFT remained positively associated.

Conclusion:
SSFT represents an independent risk factor for presence of AMD compared to other anthropometric and DEXA measurements. SSFT is an established method of measuring subcutaneous adiposity: subcutaneous fat may be more relevant in explaining the adiposity-AMD link due to physiological properties specific to the tissue.

Conflicts of interest: None
Funding: This PhD was funded by UK Research and Innovation doctoral training grant no: BB/T008776/1

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