A new study found elevated gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) levels (commonly used as an indicator of liver dysfunction and alcohol consumption) were associated with increased atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) patients, irrespective of conventional risk factors.  

A collaboration between the Centre for Eye Research Australia and Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital, China, the prospective study used the UK Biobank records of 3,508 people aged 40-69 years with AMD (UK Biobank records do not differentiate between dry and wet subtypes). The researchers also found serum vitamin D was linked to a minor yet significant 2% decrease in likelihood of all-cause mortality. ASCVD event rates and all-cause mortality rates were also high in patients with AMD with diabetes mellitus or prior chronic kidney disease at baseline, they said. 

Noting that subretinal drusenoid deposits – a biomarker for AMD progression – were found to have a robust association with coronary heart disease and stroke in previous studies, researchers concluded, “In the health care of AMD, initiation and the long-term control of risk factors along with a heart-healthy lifestyle may be warranted.”