Browsing by Author "Huang, Guan H."

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The Prevalence of Age-Related Macular Degeneration and Associated Risk Factors
(2010-06-01)
Klein, Ronald
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Cruickshanks, Karen J.
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Nash, Scott D.
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Krantz, Elizabeth M.
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Javier Nieto, F.
Objectives: To determine the prevalence of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and to examine how retinal drusen, retinal pigmentary abnormalities, and early AMD are related to age, sex, and other risk factors. Participants: A total of 2810 people aged 21 to 84 years participating in the Beaver Dam Offspring Study. Methods: The presence and severity of various characteristics of drusen and other lesions typical of AMD were determined by grading digital color fundus images using the Wisconsin Age-Related Maculopathy Grading System. Results: Early AMD was present in 3.4% of the cohort and varied from 2.4% in those aged 21 to 34 years to 9.8% in those aged 65 years or older. In a multivariable model (expressed as odds ratio; 95% confidence interval), age (per 5 years of age, 1.22; 1.09-1.36), being male (1.65; 1.01-2.69), more pack-years of cigarettes smoked (1-10 vs 0, 1.31; 0.75-2.29; >= 11 vs 0, 1.67; 1.03-2.73), higher serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level (per 5 mg/dL, 0.91; 0.83-0.998), and hearing impairment (2.28; 1.41-3.71) were associated with early AMD. There were no associations of blood pressure level, body mass index, physical activity level, history of heavy drinking, white blood cell count, hematocrit level, platelet count, serum total cholesterol level, or carotid intimal-medial thickness with early AMD. Conclusions: These data indicate that early AMD is infrequent before age 55 years but increases with age thereafter. Early AMD is related to modifiable risk factors, eg, smoking and serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level.
The Prevalence of Hearing Impairment and Associated Risk Factors The Beaver Dam Offspring Study
(2011-05-01)
Nash, Scott D.
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Cruickshanks, Karen J.
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Klein, Ronald
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Klein, Barbara E. K.
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Nieto, F. Javier
Objective: To estimate the prevalence of hearing impairment (HI) and evaluate the cross-sectional associations of environmental and cardiovascular disease risk factors and HI in middle-aged adults. Design: Data were collected as part of the Beaver Dam Offspring Study, an epidemiological cohort study of aging. Hearing impairment was defined as a pure-tone average (0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 4.0 kHz) greater than 25 db hearing level in either ear. Word recognition in competing message (WRCM) was measured using the Northwestern University No. 6 word list. Questionnaire information about behaviors, environmental factors, and medical history was also collected. Participants: The participants (N = 3285) were offspring of participants of the population-based Epidemiology of Hearing Loss Study and ranged in age from 21 to 84 years (mean age, 49 years). Results: The prevalence of HI was 14.1%, and the mean (SD) WRCM score was 64% (15%). In a multivariate model, after age, sex, education, and occupational noise were controlled for, a history of ear surgery (odds ratio [OR], 4.11; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.37-7.15), a larger central retinal venular equivalent (OR, 1.77; 95% CI, 1.20-2.60 [fourth quartile vs first quartile]), and a higher hematocrit percentage (OR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.63-0.95 [per 5%]) were independently associated with HI. Factors associated with lower WRCM scores were similar but also included mean intima-media thickness (mean difference, -0.63%; 95% CI, -1.06% to -0.19%; P = .005 [per 0.1 mm]) and statin use (mean difference, -2.09%; 95% CI, -3.58% to -0.60%; P = .005). Conclusions: Hearing impairment is a common condition in middle-aged adults. Cardiovascular disease risk factors may be important correlates of age-related auditory dysfunction.