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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Med.

Sec. Ophthalmology

Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1552978

This article is part of the Research Topic New Concepts, Advances, and Future Trends in Clinical Research on Eye Diseases View all 21 articles

Association between weight-adjusted waist index and age-related macular degeneration in US adults aged≥40 years: the NHANES 2005-2008

Provisionally accepted
Yuting Wu Yuting Wu 1*Yuxin Liu Yuxin Liu 1Ziman Jiao Ziman Jiao 1Xin Chen Xin Chen 1Haiyu Li Haiyu Li 1Yunhao Zhou Yunhao Zhou 2Guanghui Liu Guanghui Liu 3
  • 1 Fujian principal People’s Hospital, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, China
  • 2 College of Biological Science and Biotechnology, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China
  • 3 Eye Institute of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Fujian Provincial People's Hospital, Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The association between weight-adjusted waist index (WWI) and agerelated macular degeneration (AMD) in US adults aged 40 years and older is unknown. The goal of this study was to ascertain possible association between both of them. Methods: Included information were acquired from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) in the US from 2005 to 2008. WWI was obtained by dividing waist circumference (WC) by the square root of body weight (kg). AMD was defined based on distinctive features present in fundus using a standard classification system. Weighted logistic regression analyses were used to investigate association between WWI and AMD. Spline smoothing and threshold effects were conducted to find non-linear correlations. Subgroup analyses were employed to search underlying covariates affecting this relationship. Besides, receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis was applied to evaluate predictive power of WWI on AMD. Results: 5,132 participants were enrolled in this study. The research showed a significant positive association between WWI and risk of AMD (OR = 1.76 (1.52, 2.04); P < 0.0001). When WWI was categoried in tertiles, the highest group exhibited a stronger association in comparison with the lowest tertile (OR = 2.90 (2.18, 3.86); P < 0.0001) in model 1. Subgroup analyses and interaction tests presented that relationship between WWI and AMD was stable in various populations. Spline smoothing and threshold effects showed a positive non-linear correlation between WWI and AMD incidence. Furthermore, in contrast to BMI, WC, and weight, WWI had a better predictability for AMD by ROC analysis. Conclusion: There exists a positive non-linear association between WWI and AMD in US adults 40 years of age or older. WWI-related obesity management is necessary for prevention and treatment of AMD.

    Keywords: Weight-adjusted waist index, age-related macular degeneration, NHANES, Obesity, Non-linear association

    Received: 29 Dec 2024; Accepted: 24 Feb 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Wu, Liu, Jiao, Chen, Li, Zhou and Liu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Yuting Wu, Fujian principal People’s Hospital, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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