Jabs DA, et al. - In this case-control study, researchers examined the correlations between age-related macular degeneration (AMD), mortality, and systemic inflammation biomarkers in patients with AIDS. The study sample consisted of 189 patients with AMD and AIDS and 385 control participants. The primary outcome was mortality, and they found an association of AMD with mortality. They also found that C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin (IL)-6, and interferon-γ inducible protein (IP)-10 were correlated with mortality. After adjusting for HIV load, blood CD4+ T cell level, CRP, IL-6, and IP-10, they found that the association of AMD with mortality was attenuated, largely following the addition of inflammatory biomarkers. Study findings, therefore, suggested that the increased mortality noted in patients with AIDS and AMD may be due to, at least in part, systemic inflammation.