Association between frailty and incidence of AMD among middle-aged and older people: evidence from the UK Biobank.

BACKGROUND

To explore the association between age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and frailty and the link between frailty and neurological aging diseases in AMD patients.

METHODS

This study included 354,334 individuals aged ≥40 years without AMD at baseline from the UK Biobank. Frailty was assessed using the Fried phenotype. Cox proportional hazard models were used to analyze the association between frailty and AMD incidence. Logistic regression models were used to examine the link between frailty and nervous system-related diseases among AMD patients.

RESULTS

Frailty was associated with AMD incidence (hazard ratio [HR] 1.36 [95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.29-1.44] for prefrailty; HR 2.12 [95% CI 1.86-2.42] for frailty). All five frailty components were associated with AMD: weight loss (HR 1.11 [95% CI 1.03-1.20]), exhaustion (HR 1.13 [95% CI 1.03-1.23]), low physical activity (HR 1.12 [95% CI 1.01-1.23]), low grip strength (HR 1.23 [95% CI 1.14-1.32]), and slow walking pace (HR 1.23 [95% CI 1.12-1.35]). Additionally, among AMD patients, frailty was linked to neurodegenerative diseases (odds ratio [OR] 3.09 [95% CI 1.58-6.07]), neurovascular diseases (OR 3.77 [95% CI 2.16-6.60]), and mental diseases (OR 2.09 [95% CI 1.12-3.93]).

CONCLUSION

Frailty is a significant risk factor for AMD incidence, with all five components showing a positive association with AMD. Furthermore, frailty is linked to neural system-related diseases in AMD patients. Early detection and intervention for frailty may help prevent or delay AMD onset.