RISK OF EXUDATIVE AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION IN PATIENTS WITH CENTRAL SEROUS CHORIORETINOPATHY: A Nationwide Cohort Study

Abstract

Purpose: To estimate the risk of incident age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in patients with central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC).

Methods: This population-based cohort study was finally conducted from January 2015 to December 2019. All patients with CSC from the entire population aged between 30 and 80 years were included. The incidence of CSC was estimated. Log-rank analysis and Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to evaluate the risk of exudative AMD in the CSC group compared with the non-CSC group.

Results: During a recent 5-year study period, 36,053 patients were identified as having incident CSC. The annual incidence in the latest year was 19.61 (95% confidence interval, 19.58 to 19.63) per 100,000 people. A total of 11,492 patients were included in the study group and 22,984 in the non-CSC group. The CSC and non-CSC groups included 166 (1.44%) and 73 (0.32%) cases of exudative AMD, respectively. The risk of exudative AMD was significantly higher in the CSC group than in the non-CSC group (adjusted hazard ratio: 4.86; 95% confidence interval: 2.98 to 5.88; P < 0.001).

Conclusion: This study showed that subjects with CSC are at an increased risk of exudative AMD. This evidence supports a possible link between CSC and exudative AMD, particularly in Asian populations.