Study: Socioeconomic inequality linked to increased risk of AMD

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A team of Chinese researchers from Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine and Fudan University has found an association between socioeconomic status inequality and the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

The data, published in Health Data Science, the study highlights how a healthy lifestyle can mitigate some of the risks associated with low socioeconomic status.¹

Socioeconomic factors have long been a looming issue in various health outcomes. The study, led by Associate Research Fellow Huixun Jia and Xiaodong Sun, MD, PhD, from the Department of Ophthalmology at Shanghai General Hospital, set out to review the impact of socioeconomic status inequality on the incidence of AMD, a key cause of blindness among the elderly. While earlier studies had suggested a potential link, they were limited by small sample sizes or their cross-sectional design.

This prospective cohort study included data from the UK Biobank including 316,663 middle-aged and elderly individuals. socioeconomic status was determined through latent class analysis considering education, household income, and employment status. Healthy lifestyle factors, such as smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical activity (PA), were also examined.¹

The researchers used Cox proportional hazards models to evaluated the link of low socioeconomic status and AMD.

“Our study identified a significant association between SES inequality and the incidence of AMD,” Jia said in a news release. “Notably, the relationship was influenced by lifestyle behaviors, particularly physical activity. We found that smoking mediated the low SES-AMD association, while high alcohol consumption reduced the protective effect of high SES.”

There was 12.2 years of follow-up, during which 6355 participants were diagnosed with AMD. The patients with medium and low socioeconomic status had a 10% and 22% higher risk of AMD, respectively, compared to high socioeconomic status individuals. The researchers also found that physical inactivity was found to exacerbate this association, highlighting the importance of promoting regular physical activity, especially among those with low socioeconomic status.¹

“Our findings underscore the universal benefits of positive lifestyle adjustments,” added Jia. “Encouraging physical activity and smoking cessation among individuals with low SES, and reducing alcohol consumption among high SES groups, could mitigate their susceptibility to AMD.”

Looking ahead, the researchers hope to examine other preventive measures for AMD to reduce its disease burden.

“Our ultimate goal is to enhance the quality of life for the elderly by addressing SES inequalities and promoting healthy lifestyle choices,” Sun concluded.

Reference:

1. Yanlin Qu, Guanran Zhang, Zhenyu Wu, Huihuan Luo, Renjie Chen, Huixun Jia, and Xiaodong Sun. Associations of Socioeconomic Status Inequity with Incident Age-related Macular Degeneration in Middle-Aged and Elderly Population. Health Data Sci. 2024, 2024;4:0148.DOI:10.34133/hds.0148