Blood Lead Levels in Patients with Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Case-Control Study

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to evaluate blood lead levels in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Methods: This case-control study was conducted on patients with AMD and healthy controls at Ahvaz, Khozestan, Iran. The control group was randomly selected from the general outpatient clinic. Two groups were matched for the following parameters: age, sex, smoking, lipid profiles, past vascular diseases, and history of ophthalmic surgery. Findings: Ninety-five AMD patients (55.8 male, mean age 69.93 ± 10.17 years) and 95 controls (31.6 male, mean age 65.50 ± 7.65 years) were enrolled. The mean blood lead level in the case and control groups was 25.70 ± 10.08 and 24.25 ± 9.74 µg/dL, respectively (P = 0.46). Also, after adjusting for confounding factors, there was no significant difference between the two groups' blood lead levels (P = 0.4). Conclusion: No significant differences were found in the blood lead levels, indicative of short-term exposure, between patients with AMD and the control group. © 2024 Isfahan University of Medical Sciences(IUMS). All rights reserved.