AMD and Alzheimer's 'are not linked' says study

A new study has suggested that there is no link between Alzheimer's disease and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) - a common eye disease - and dementia. The latest findings oppose research that had previously suggested there was a link between the conditions.

Alzheimer's disease and AMD often develop as a person grows older, but new research is suggesting that there is no link between the two. 

Research, published in the journal 'JAMA Ophthalmology' and performed by scientists from the University of Manchester, suggests that both diseases share common processes and environmental risk factors, including high blood pressure, smoking, the depositing of plaques on the brain and high cholesterol. However, both of the diseases have been found to have their own distinct genetic risk factors.

Hospital admissions data from NHS England was used to create a group of 65,894 people, over the course of 12 years, that had been admitted to hospital or had undergone day-case treatment for AMD. Another group was constructed including 168,092 people that had been treated for dementia, along with a cohort of over 7.7 million people to be used as a reference group. 

The data presented by each group was analysed to ascertain the chances of developing Alzheimer's disease or dementia after AMD,as well as as the risks of developing AMD after Dementia of Alzheimer's disease. 

It was found that AMD did not increase a person's chances of developing dementia of Alzheimer's. According to the study, although both types of condition have similar environmental risk factors, the occurrences of both diseases within a single person were no higher than was expected by chance alone.

Researchers also suggested that within England those that suffered from Alzheimer's or dementia were unlikely to receive treatment for AMD, suggesting that more needs to be done to ensure vulnerable people are receiving the medical treatment they need. One of the main factors in this lack of AMD treatment, according to the study, could be that people suffering from a form of dementia are less likely to undergo eye testing.