Depressive Symptoms and Quality of Life in Age-related Macular Degeneration Based on Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES)

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to investigate the depressive symptoms and quality of life (QOL) in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) using data obtained from the Korea National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey V-2 (KNHANES V-2) conducted in 2011. METHODS: This was a population-based, cross-sectional study that selected 329 participants from the fifth KNHANES (2011) who were diagnosed with AMD by an ophthalmologist based on fundus photography. The prevalence of depressive symptoms and the health-related QOL (using EuroQol indices) in this cohort were also estimated. Factors associated with depressive symptoms, including socioeconomic status, QOL indices, and associated chronic diseases, were investigated using multivariate regression models. RESULTS: Depressive symptoms were observed more frequently in AMD patients than in non-AMD controls (p = 0.013). Among the total 329 AMD participants, 65 (19.8%) had depressive symptoms. There were 16 males (24.6%) and 49 females (75.4%). Upon multivariate analysis, significant factors found to be associated with depressive symptoms were female gender (odds ratio [OR], 2.082; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.001 to 4.330), being in the “dependent” group for activities of daily living (OR, 4.638; 95% CI, 2.061 to 10.435), and having “some problems” in the “anxiety-depression” dimension of the EQ-5D (OR, 7.704; 95% CI, 1.890 to 31.408). CONCLUSIONS: Female gender and being dependent on others for activities of daily living increased the association of depressive symptoms in this cohort of AMD participants. Screening for depressive symptoms in East Asian AMD patients with these characteristics should be an important component of their care.

Association between Grapes Intake and Diabetic Retinopathy: Inhibitory Effect of Resveratol on Diabetic Retinopathy

PURPOSE: To evaluate the association between grape intake and diabetic retinopathy. METHODS: A population-based cross-sectional study using a nation-wide, stratified, multistage, clustered sampling method included 1,555 subjects aged > or =30 years who participated in the Korean National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey 2008-2011. All participants performed standardized interviews, food frequency questionnaires (FFQ), and comprehensive ophthalmic examinations. Grape intake was evaluated by an FFQ using 10 intervals of average frequency of grape intake during the past year. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) was evaluated by 7 standard retinal fundus photographs after pharmacological pupil dilatation. DR was classified as any DR, proliferative DR, or vision-threatening DR by the modified Air House classification system. RESULTS: The prevalence of diabetes was 16.9 +/- 1.2%. As the grape intake frequency increases in FFQ, the odds ratio (OR) for any DR, proliferative DR, and vision-threatening DR were 0.86 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.75-0.98), 0.65 (95% CI, 0.48-0.88), and 0.77 (95% CI, 0.60-0.99) respectively. Compared to the group with a grape intake of less than once per month, the OR for any DR, proliferative DR, and vision-threatening DR in the group with a grape intake of more than 2-3 times per month were 0.54 (95% CI 0.33-0.89), 0.25 (95% CI 0.07-0.81), 0.36 (95% CI 0.13-0.95), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The intake of grapes was inversely associated with the prevalence of DR.