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Thursday 20 December 2012

Study shows regular aspirin use may increase AMD risk



Regular aspirin use may increase a person’s risk of developing AMD, according to a study published today (December 19) in the journal JAMA.
The results showed that adults who used aspirin regularly 10 years before the study had a statistically significant increase in the risk of incident late and neovascular AMD.
 
Aspirin is widely used for relief of pain and for cardioprotective effects. However, many ophthalmologists have expressed concern about aspirin use and the risk of AMD. 
 
To investigate further, the researchers examined the association of regular aspirin use with incidence of AMD using data from nearly 5,000 individuals aged between 43 and 86 years. Over a 20-year period, the participants underwent eye examinations every five years. Regular aspirin use was defined as using aspirin at least twice a week for more than three months. 
 
The researchers found that aspirin use five or 10 years prior to the retinal examination was not associated with incident early AMD.
 
However, they found that regular aspirin use 10 years prior to the retinal examination was associated with an increase in risk of incident late and neovascular AMD.

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