Original article
The Prevalence of Macular Telangiectasia Type 2 in the Beaver Dam Eye Study

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajo.2010.02.013Get rights and content

Purpose

To examine the prevalence of macular telangiectasia type 2 and lesions characterizing it.

Design

Population-based cohort study.

Methods

setting: City and township of Beaver Dam, 1988-1990. study population: A total of 4790 people 43-86 years of age. observation procedure(s): Grading from stereoscopic fundus photographs to measure macular telangiectasia type 2. main outcome measure: Prevalent macular telangiectasia type 2.

Results

Macular telangiectasia type 2 was present at baseline in 0.1% of the population (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.09, 0.1). The frequencies of loss of retinal transparency, crystals in the inner retinal layers, blunted retinal vessels, localized intraretinal pigment migration in the juxtafoveolar region, and presence of yellow deposits and lamellar holes in the foveal area in those without macular telangiectasia type 2 varied from 0.06% for retinal telangiectatic vessels to 1.2% for lamellar holes. Smoking was associated with pigment clumping (odds ratio [OR] per pack year 1.02; 95% CI 1.00, 1.03; P = .02), retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) depigmentation (OR 1.02 per pack year; 95%CI 1.00, 1.04; P = .02), loss of transparency (OR 1.02 per pack year; 95% CI 1.00, 1.03; P = .008), and the presence of a yellow spot in the fovea (OR 2.24 current vs past or never smoker; 95% CI 1.29, 3.89; P = .004), but not with presence of macular telangiectasia type 2 (OR 2.72; 95% CI 0.45, 16.28; P = .27).

Conclusions

The prevalence of macular telangiectasia type 2 (0.1%) is higher than previously thought. These data are useful in estimating the burden of this condition in the population. The role of smoking in the development of macular telangiectasia type 2 requires further study.

Section snippets

Population

Methods used to identify and describe the population have appeared in previous reports.12, 13, 14, 15, 16 In brief, a private census of the population of Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, was performed from September 15, 1987, to May 4, 1988, to identify all residents in the city or township of Beaver Dam who were 43 to 84 years of age. Of the 5924 eligible individuals, 4926 participated in the baseline examination between March 1, 1988, and September 14, 1990.12, 13 Ninety-nine percent of the population

Results

Agreement among graders (absent vs present) for specific macular telangiectasia type 2 lesions varied from 100% (for yellowish spots) to 77% (for lamellar holes). Macular telangiectasia type 2 was present at baseline in 0.1% of the population (95% CI 0.09, 0.1). It was present in 1 woman and 4 men (Table 1). The mean age at baseline of those with macular telangiectasia type 2 was 63.4 (range 52–68) years; the mean age of those without macular telangiectasia type 2 was similar (62.3 [range

Discussion

Macular telangiectasia type 2 was present in 0.1% of the predominantly white Beaver Dam Eye Study cohort 43 to 86 years of age. Macular telangiectasia type 2 is considered by many retinal specialists to be a rare condition. Our data suggest that it may be more common than previously thought.11, 26 This may be attributable, in part, to its being asymptomatic in its early stages and to possibly being misclassified as age-related macular degeneration or a pattern dystrophy.

Based on the United

Barbara E. K. Klein is a Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin. She is interested in ocular epidemiology of age-related eye disease, including glaucoma, cataracts and diabetic retinopathy.

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