Ageing of the retina is associated with the gradual accumulation of basal deposits and the formation of drusen. However, in some individuals this process is exacerbated and causes development of age-related macular degeneration. Late features of age-related macular degeneration include geographic atrophy of the neuroretina or choroidal neovascularization. Such changes lead to blurred vision, metamorphopsia, and scotoma, and is the leading cause of vision loss in developed countries. Chronic low-grade inflammation has been investigated because of its relationship to ageing and its role in the gap between chronological and biological ageing. Here, we systematically reviewed studies investigating systemic C-reactive protein in patients with age-related macular degeneration. We identified 53 studies with 60,598 participants (10,392 patients and 38,901 controls). Our meta-analyses revealed that early age-related macular degeneration was not associated to systemic C-reactive protein (Cohen’s d = 0.03 [−0.04 to 0.10]; OR = 1.06 [0.93–1.20]; P = 0.39) whereas late age-related macular degeneration (Cohen’s d = 0.38 [0.24 to 0.51]; OR = 1.99 [1.55–2.52]; P < 0.0001), and neovascular age-related macular degeneration (Cohen’s d = 0.40 [0.24 to 0.56]; OR = 2.07 [1.55–2.76]; P < 0.0001) was associated with a small-to-moderate increase in systemic C-reactive protein. Our review provides an overview of this extensively studied field, provide summary estimates that provide insight into when and to what extent systemic C-reactive protein is associated with age-related macular degeneration, and help in distinguishing the potentially reversible disease processes from that of irreversible retinal ageing.

视网膜的老化与基底沉积物的逐渐积累和玻璃疣的形成有关。然而，在某些人中，这个过程会加剧并导致与年龄相关的黄斑变性的发展。年龄相关性黄斑变性的晚期特征包括神经视网膜的地理萎缩或脉络膜新生血管。这种变化导致视力模糊、视物变形和盲点，是发达国家视力丧失的主要原因。慢性低度炎症已被研究，因为它与衰老的关系及其在时间和生物衰老之间的差距中的作用。在这里，我们系统地回顾了研究年龄相关性黄斑变性患者全身 C 反应蛋白的研究。我们确定了 53 项研究，涉及 60,598 名参与者（10,392 名患者和 38 901 控制）。我们的荟萃分析显示早期年龄相关性黄斑变性与全身性 C 反应蛋白无关（Cohen'sd  = 0.03 [-0.04 至 0.10]；OR = 1.06 [0.93–1.20]；P = 0.39），而晚期年龄相关性黄斑变性（Cohen's d  = 0.38 [0.24 至 0.51]；OR = 1.99 [1.55–2.52]；P <0.0001）和新生血管性年龄相关性黄斑变性（Cohen's d  = 0.2440）至 0.56]；OR = 2.07 [1.55–2.76]；P <0.0001）与全身 C 反应蛋白小到中度增加有关。我们的综述概述了这一广泛研究的领域，提供了总结估计，以洞察全身性 C 反应蛋白何时以及在多大程度上与年龄相关性黄斑变性相关，并有助于区分潜在的可逆疾病过程和不可逆疾病过程。视网膜老化。