Comparison of severity of retinopathy in diabetic versus non diabetic chronic kidney disease patients

Objective: To determine the correlation between presence of severity of retinopathy and various stages of chronic kidney disease in both diabetic and non-diabetic patients. Methodology: This comparative cross sectional study was conducted from October 2017 to March 2018 at the Departments of Nephrology and Ophthalmology, Pakistan Institute of MedicalS ciences, Islamabad. A total of 86 patients were included in the study, consecutively with CKD (chronic kidney disease) stage 3-5 with diabetic or non-diabetic and divided into two groups. Results: Mean age of patients was 37.35±4.23 years and mean duration of diabetes was 11.58+2.81 years. In group‒A, 40 and group‒B, 14 patients had retinopathy. A total of 38 (44.2%) patients had diabetic retinopathy and 16 (18.6%) had hypertensive changes. In both groups, those with retinal changes had considerable decline in eGFR. In group A, 13 (30.2%) and group B, 15 (34.9%) had e-GFR of 15‒44 mL/min/1.73 m², respectively. Five (11.6%) patients in group-A and eight (18.6%) in group B had e-GFR 30–44 mL/min/1.73 m². Conclusion: Retinal changes can occur prior to the progression of CKD and it can be an independent major morbidity factor in both diabetic and non-diabetic CKD patients. Diabetes is an additional factor along with CKD because of its pathological effects on micro vasculature of the body. (author)