Macular degeneration may have same biomarker as kidney function

Madison, WI-Cystatin C, a biomarker of kidney function, also may be associated with the incidence of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), said researchers.

Adjusted analyses found that serum levels of the protein were associated with the incidence of both early and exudative AMD, according to Ronald Klein, MD, MPH, and colleagues.

There was an association between chronic kidney disease and macular degeneration, but the association between cystatin C and the degenerative eye disease was intensified in patients without chronic kidney disease.

"This suggests that this relationship might not be due to kidney-related processes," the researchers said.

Studies on the relationship of kidney disease and AMD have been few and inconsistent, so researchers conducted a prospective cohort study of 4,926 patients aged 43 to 86 years, in Beaver Dam, WI.