16
In three epidemiological studies performed in India, the
prevalence rates of late AMD ranged from 0.6% to 1.9%
(Table 3). Below the age of 80 years, the prevalence
rates were rather similar to those observed in indus-
trialized countries. Above 80 years, the figures are
mostly unreliable because of the very high prevalence
of unoperated cataracts in this population, leading to
a very high percentage of ungradable retinal photo-
graphs. The global prevalence rates were therefore prob-
ably underestimated.
Three studies have been performed in subjects of
Chinese origin: one in the United States (Table 2)
(10)
,
one in mainland Beijing
(11)
and one in Taïwan
(12)
. While
prevalence rates in Chinese from the United States
and Taïwan seemed similar to those in Caucasians, the
prevalence rates in Chinese from Mainland China were
much lower.
The reasons for these differences are unclear, and may be
Table 2. Prevalence of late AMD in other ethnic groups from the United States
Author, Study
Years study conducted, Country
Number of subjects, age
Prevalence of late AMD(%)
African-Americans
Friedman, Baltimore Eye Study
(28)
1985-1988, USA
N=1843, age >= 40 years
0.22
Bressler, Salisbury Eye Evaluation Project
(30)
1993-1995, USA
N=666, age >= 65 years
Exudative AMD : 1.1
Geographic atrophy : 0.3
Klein, Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities
Study
(31)
1993-1995, USA
N= 2548 , age 48-72 years (one eye only)
0.04
Klein, Cardiovascular Health Study
(32
)
1997-1998, USA
N=363, age 69-97 years (one eye only)
0.3
Klein, Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis
(10)
2000-2002, USA
N=1590, age 45-84 years
0.3
Hispanics
San Luis Vally
(17)
1983, USA
N=3995, age 43-74 years
0.09
Proyecto VER
(15)
1997-1999, USA
N=2776, age >= 50 years
0.5
Los Angeles Latino Eye Study
(16)
2000-2003, USA
N=5875, age >= 40 years
0.43
Klein,Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis
(10)
2000-2002, USA
N=1280, age 45-84 years
0.2
Chinese
Klein, Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis
(10)
2000-2002, USA
N=699, age 45-84 years
1.0
related to gene-environment interactions, since Chinese
from the United States and Taïwan tend to live a more
industrialized lifestyle. More epidemiological data are
needed to confirm and understand the reasons for these
differences.
Finally, in a study from Singapore, the prevalence of late
AMD was similar to that in Caucasians
(13)
. Globally, the
prevalence of late AMD appears high in Asians, with the
only exception of Chinese from Mainland China, which
remains to be confirmed.
A study in Inuits from Greenland shows strikingly high
rates of late AMD, with particularly high rates of neovas-
cular AMD
(14)
. This is in contrast from the observations
of European Nordic countries, which found higher rates
of geographic atrophy
(5,6)
and also in contrast with origi-
nal observations in this population, which also found
higher rates of geographic atrophy in Inuits. The reasons
for these differences are unclear.
