Comorbid Depression and Anxiety Risk in Older Individuals with Geographic Atrophy: A US Claims Data Analysis

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Mental Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Geographic atrophy (GA) is an advanced stage of nonexudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
• GA leads to progressive central vision loss and blindness.
• The link between GA and reduced quality of life is known, but mental health comorbidities like anxiety and depression are understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the co-occurrence of depression and anxiety in patients diagnosed with GA.
• To compare the risk of mental health conditions in GA patients versus a matched control group.
• To identify specific GA characteristics associated with increased mental health risks.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective, noninterventional cohort study using three large US databases.
• Patients aged ≥50 years with GA were propensity score-matched (1:2) to controls without GA.
• Outcomes included time to mental health diagnosis and healthcare resource utilization; relative risks (RRs) were calculated.

Main Results:

• Across datasets, patients with GA showed a significantly higher risk for depression (RR 1.24-1.36) and anxiety (RR 1.17-1.33) compared to controls.
• The highest risk for comorbid depression and anxiety was observed in patients with bilateral GA involving subfoveal areas.
• Patients with GA also had significantly higher healthcare resource utilization.

Conclusions:

• Patients with GA have an elevated risk of comorbid depression and anxiety.
• The risk is greatest for those with bilateral GA and subfoveal involvement.
• These findings underscore the significant mental health burden associated with GA.