Serological Association of Chlamydia pneumoniae Infection with Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND We investigated the serological association of Chlamydia pneumoniae infection with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). METHODS A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed. PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and the Association of Research in Vision and Ophthalmology abstracts were searched to identify studies investigating the serological association of Chlamydia pneumoniae infection with age-related macular degeneration. The quality of original studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Heterogeneity was explored with meta-regression. The odds ratios (ORs) and standardized mean differences (SMD) of Chlamydia pneumoniae infection between AMD patients and controls were pooled. RESULTS In total, 9 studies met the inclusion criteria using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale scores ranging from 4 to 9. There was heterogeneity among studies due to a difference in the study designs and measurement of exposure to Chlamydia pneumoniae infection. The overall OR of Chlamydia pneumoniae infection with AMD was 1.11 (95% confidence interval: 0.78-1.57, P = 0.56). The overall SMD of antibody titer between AMD and control was 0.43 (95% confidence interval: -0.12 to 0.99, P = 0.13). CONCLUSIONS Evidence from the current published literature suggested no statistically significant association between Chlamydia pneumoniae infection and AMD.