Evidence mapPaperPMID 42388486Full record

SynthesisFrontiers in medicine2026

Risk factors for age-related macular degeneration: an umbrella analysis of systematic review and meta-analysis.

Huaixiao Zang, Lin Han, Dong Shi

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Frontiers in medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Huaixiao ZangDepartment of Ophthalmology, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China.
Lin HanDepartment of Ophthalmology, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China.
Dong ShiDepartment of Ophthalmology, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: The objective of the current study was to conduct an umbrella review of meta-analyses to systematically assess the methodological quality, potential biases, and validity of all epidemiological evidence addressing risk factors associated with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and to synthesize the available evidence regarding AMD risk factors. Methods: We searched PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews to April 2025 (last update) for systematic reviews and meta-analyses that focused on the risk factors for AMD. The methodological quality of each study was assessed independently by two reviewers using AMSTAR and the GRADE framework. Results: Following a comprehensive systematic search, a total of 53 distinct risk factors were identified, comprising 30 factors with statistically significant associations and 23 without significant associations. Based on the GRADE framework, most of the evidence was classified as low or very low quality, with three factors achieving a moderate level of evidence. Consistent associations were observed for age and smoking, as well as for certain lifestyle and systemic factors, including diet, diabetes, and hypertension. Circulating biomarkers, including carotenoids, C-reactive protein (CRP), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), were also found to be associated with AMD, although the strength of evidence varied across studies. Conclusion: This umbrella review indicates that AMD risk is associated with multiple modifiable lifestyle and systemic factors. Healthy diet and physical activity may have protective roles, while several circulating biomarkers, including carotenoids and C-reactive protein, have been identified as related to AMD risk. However, given that most of the available evidence is of low or very low certainty, these findings should be considered with caution. Systematic Review Registration: PROSPERO, CRD420251045558, URL: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420251045558.

Indexed as

age-related macular degenerationeye diseasemeta-analysisrisk factorumbrella review

Identifiers

PMID42388486
PMCPMC13318758

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.