Association of Age-related Macular Degeneration With Mortality in Patients With Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; Role of Systemic Inflammation

Purpose: To evaluate the relationships among age-related macular degeneration (AMD), mortality, and biomarkers of systemic inflammation in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Design: Case-control study. Methods: In participants with intermediate-stage AMD at enrollment in the Longitudinal Study of the Ocular Complications of AIDS (LSOCA) and 2:1 controls matched for age and sex, cryopreserved baseline plasma specimens were assayed for biomarkers of inflammation, including high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin (IL)-6, interferon-γ inducible protein (IP)-10, soluble CD14 (sCD14), soluble CD163 (sCD163), kynurenine/tryptophan (KT) ratio, and intestinal fatty acid binding protein (I-FABP). Main outcome measure was mortality. Results: The study included 189 patients with AMD and 385 controls. In the unadjusted analysis, AMD was associated with mortality (hazard ratio [HR] 1.48; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02, 2.15; P =.04). In an adjusted analysis, CRP (HR 1.36; 95% CI 1.08, 1.71; P =.009), IL-6 (HR 1.45; 95% CI 1.11, 1.90; P =.006), and IP-10 (HR 1.41; 95% CI 1.08, 1.84; P =.01) were associated with mortality. In a Cox regression analysis adjusted for human immunodeficiency virus load, blood CD4+ T cell level, CRP, IL-6, and IP-10, the association of AMD with mortality was attenuated (HR 1.08; 95% CI 0.73, 1.59; P =.70), primarily by the addition of the inflammatory biomarkers. Conclusions: These data suggest that the increased mortality observed in patients with AIDS with AMD is, at least in part, a result of systemic inflammation.