C-reactive protein level and risk of aging macula disorder - The Rotterdam study

Objective: To examine whether C- reactive protein ( CRP) level is a risk factor for aging macula disorder ( AMD) in a general population. Methods: We examined serum high- sensitivity CRP ( HsCRP) levels in 4914 participants of the population-based Rotterdam Study at risk for AMD. After a mean follow-up of 7.7 years, 561 cases of early and 97 cases of late incident AMD( iAMD) were identified. We used Cox proportional hazards regression models to estimate hazard ratios and corresponding 95% confidence intervals ( CIs). Results: After adjustment for age and sex, hazard ratios were 1.11 ( 95% CI, 1.02- 1.21) per standard deviation increase in HsCRP level for early iAMD and 1.28 ( 95% CI, 1.02- 1.60) for late iAMD. Hazard ratios for early iAMD increased per quartile increase in HsCRP level as follows: second quartile, 1.19 ( 95% CI, 0.94- 1.52); third quartile, 1.29 ( 95% CI, 1.01- 1.64); and fourth quartile, 1.33 ( 95% CI, 1.05- 1.70). The risk of late iAMD was higher in all upper quartiles of HsCRP. Conclusion: Elevated baseline levels of HsCRP were associated with the development of early and late AMD in this large population- based cohort.