Associations between retinal microvasculature/microstructure and renal function in type 2 diabetes patients with...

To explore the associations between the microvascular/microstructural changes in the retina measured by optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) and renal function in type 2 diabetes patients with early chronic kidney disease (CKD).

This cross-sectional study, including 150 type 2 diabetes patients, was conducted from July 2017 to January 2019. We obtained retinal vessel density (VD) and retinal thickness using OCTA. The correlations between OCTA-derived parameters and CKD-related systemic data were assessed by multiple regression analyses.

We found a significant decrease of VD in patients with CKD. Multiple regression analyses showed that: a) decreased eGFR (estimated glomerular filtration rate) was significantly correlated with decreased VD of superficial vascular complex (SVC) in macular area; b) increased UACR (urine albumin to creatinine ratio) was significantly associated with increased macular thickness; c) decreased HGB/HCT (Hemoglobin or Hematocrit) was significantly correlated with both decreased VD of SVC and increased retinal thickness in macular area.

Decrease in the microcirculation of the retina and thickening of the macula associated with impaired renal function in type 2 diabetes. Our finding encourages the application of OCTA-derived metrics in diabetic eyes to monitor the progression of CKD.