Increased serum urea and creatinine levels correlate with decreased retinal nerve fibre layer thickness in diabetic retinopathy

Biomarkers. 2015;20(6-7):470-3. doi: 10.3109/1354750X.2015.1094142. Epub 2015 Oct 16.

Abstract

Correlation of increased levels of serum urea and creatinine with retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thinning on spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) was studied in diabetic retinopathy (DR). Sixty consecutive cases and 20 healthy controls were included. Cases were divided into three groups: without DR, non-proliferative DR with macular oedema and proliferative DR with oedema. Serum urea and creatinine were measured using a standard protocol. Average (RNFL) was measured using SD-OCT. Increased severity of DR was associated with decrease in levels of serum urea and serum creatinine levels. RNFL thinning correlated positively with increase in serum urea and creatinine levels.

Keywords: Creatinine; diabetic nephropathy; diabetic retinopathy; retinal nerve fibre layer thickness; urea.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Analysis of Variance
  • Chi-Square Distribution
  • Creatinine / blood*
  • Diabetic Retinopathy / blood*
  • Diabetic Retinopathy / pathology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Nerve Fibers / pathology*
  • Retina / pathology*
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Tomography, Optical Coherence
  • Urea / blood*

Substances

  • Urea
  • Creatinine