What are the risk factors associated with ARMD?
The strongest risk factors are: • Age. The incidence of all forms of ARMD rises steeply with advancing age. In one large study, ARMD increased from approximately 4% of individuals at 43 to 54 years of age, to 23% in those 75 years or older. • Drusen. The presence of numerous and/or large drusen, accompanied by specific pigmentary changes in the macula, is considered to be diagnostic of early atrophic ARMD. • Smoking. The incidence of both “wet” and “dry” ARMD is strongly correlated a history of smoking, and the degree of risk is proportional to the amount of cigarette consumption. • Genetic factors. Several studies have demonstrated a high rate of concordance in the development of ARMD among twins, particularly among identical twins. In family-based studies, the likelihood of developing ARMD is nearly 20 times higher if one or both parents have ARMD. It is highly likely that one or more gene alterations carried by the affected individual increase the susceptibility in his/her offspring
