Gastritis and age‐related macular degeneration: Potential roles of metabolomic dysregulation and photoreceptor alterations

Abstract Age‐related macular degeneration (AMD) is a degenerative retinal disorder and a leading cause of global visual impairment, yet effective treatments remain limited. While gastritis is a prevalent clinical condition among older populations and has been associated with adverse effects on the central nervous system, its potential association with AMD remains unexplored. Using data from 500,000 UK Biobank participants over 13 years, we found that gastritis was significantly associated with an increased risk of incident AMD. We further identified a metabolomic alteration pattern composed of 23 plasma metabolites associated with gastritis. Further mediation and structural equation modeling analyses suggested a potential pathway linking gastritis‐related metabolomic alterations to photoreceptor thinning and AMD development. Proof‐of‐concept experiments further revealed reductions in retinal thickness in mice with gastritis, while serum from these mice reduced the viability and increased the oxidative stress of photoreceptor‐like cells. Collectively, these findings provide convergent evidence supporting an association between gastritis and AMD and suggest the potential involvement of metabolomic alterations and photoreceptor injury. Further interventional studies are required to determine whether gastritis management could contribute to AMD prevention.