PHRM 221 Lecture Notes - Lecture 25: Drusen, Macular Degeneration, Visual Acuity
Document Summary
Rct, 4757 patients with amd; duration 6. 3 years. Median age 69 yo; 56% female ( healthy , well-nourished ) replete with antioxidants. Assigned to one of four categories based on severity of amd: Category 1: virtually no amd (some small drusen) Category 2: early amd (several small or some medium drusen) Category 3: intermediate (many medium or 1+ large drusen) Antioxidant* plus zn 80 mg (high dose) and copper 2 mg. *antioxidants = vit c 500 mg, vit e 400 iu, beta-carotene 15 mg. At end of trial results published on 3640 patients (1117 category 1 patients excluded) Five category 1 patients progressed to advanced amd. Could not assess effects of antioxidants on these patients. Key endpoints for category 3 and 4 : progression to a more advanced amd or wet amd. Antioxidants + zinc vs. placebo (nnt = 13: risk of loss of visual acuity score of 15 letters from baseline. Antioxidants + zinc vs. placebo (nnt = 17)
