Prevalence of age-related macular degeneration of retina among rural and urban population of the western region of Azerbaijan

Abstract

To compare the prevalence rates of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) of retina among the rural and urban populations. The study was conducted at the National Centre of Ophthalmology named after the Academician Zarifa Aliyeva, which in 2016 provided specialized ophthalmic care to the population of the western region of the Azerbaijan Republic - the Ganja-Gazakh economic region. Three types of settlements were determined among administrative units of the region: big city; small towns; rural settlements within the administrative regions. All patients were examined by specialists of the mobile ophthalmologic team using complex diagnostic methods. According to patient data, the prevalence rate of AMD among people aged 60 years and older was not high and varied within the interval of 0.2‰ in the Gadabay district to 1.0‰ in the Goranboy district with statistically significant inter-regional differences. General prevalence rate changed within the interval of 1.0‰ in the Gadabay district to 3.1‰ in the Goranboy district, also with statistically significant inter-regional differences. Comparison of the prevalence rate of this pathology among the population of a big city, small towns and rural settlements aged 40-49 years confirms the validity of the null hypothesis. According to our survey, gender differences in the prevalence rates of AMD among the population were not statistically significant (p>0.05). Comparative assessment of the prevalence rates of age-related macular degeneration of retina among rural and urban populations confirms its high risk in rural settlements. According to patient statistics, the prevalence rate of AMD in the available data is many times lower than its actual prevalence (≥60‰). Significant increase in AMD risk is observed in individuals aged 50 years and older in rural settlements, and 60 years and older in cities.