Aspirin linked to blindness in seniors
Regular aspirin consumption may be linked with an increased risk of blindness in older people. Researchers at the Centre for Vision Research, a close affiliate of the University of Sydney, have found that the drug used often may be associated with age related macular degeneration (AMD).
Regular aspirin consumption may be linked with an increased risk of blindness in older people.
Researchers at the Centre for Vision Research from the Westmead Millennium Institute for Medical Research (WMI), a close affiliate of the University of Sydney, have found that the drug used often may be associated with neovascular age related macular degeneration (AMD).
The research shows the risk appears to be independent of a history of smoking, which is also a known preventable risk factor for AMD.
Aspirin is one of the most widely used medications in the world with more than 100 billion tablets consumed each year. Aspirin is commonly used in the prevention of cardiovascular disease, such as myocardial infarction (heart attack) and ischemic stroke.
While a five year European study published last year suggested regular aspirin use (defined as once or more per week in the past year) was associated with AMD, other studies had reported inconsistent findings.
The study by the Centre for Vision Research’s Gerald Liew, PhD, and colleagues was conducted over a much longer period and found clear evidence of the risk.
They conducted a prospective analysis of data from an Australian study (the Blue Mountains Eye Study) that included four examinations during a 15 year period.
Of 2,389 participants, 257 individuals (10.8%) were regular aspirin users. After the 15 year follow up, 63 individuals from the 2,389 participants developed incident neovascular AMD, according to the results.
The cumulative incidence of neovascular AMD among non-regular aspirin users was 0.8% at five years, 1.6% at 10 years, and 3.7% at 15 years.
In comparison, director of WMI’s Centre for Vision Research, Professor Paul Mitchell, claimed among regular aspirin users, the cumulative incidence was 1.9% at five years, 7% at 10 years and 9.3% at 15 years, respectively.
“This may indicate regular aspirin use is significantly associated with an increased incidence of neovascular AMD. This increase was around 2.5 fold, after accounting for potentially confounding variables,” Professor Mitchell said.
The report’s authors note that any decision concerning whether to stop aspirin therapy is “complex and needs to be individualised”.
