Correlation between Fundus Damage and Renal Function Deterioration in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients

Abstract

Introduction: This study aimed to explore the correlation between the extent of fundus damage and the severity of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Methods: We collected data from 118 CKD patients, including general information, renal function indicators, and fundoscopic examination results. The stages of CKD and degrees of fundus lesions were graded. SPSS 25.0 software facilitated the analysis of correlations using Kendall s tau-b correlation analysis and ordinal regression analysis. Results: Statistically significant differences were observed among multiple CKD stages in the distribution of age, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, hemoglobin, total cholesterol, homocysteine, cystatin C, serum creatinine, blood urea, eGFR, 24-h urine protein, urine microalbumin, urine microalbumin/urine creatinine, and blood β2-microglobulin, complement C3. Notably, the levels of cytokeratin 19 fragment and transforming growth factor β significantly increased in all CKD stages. Kendall s tau-b correlation analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between CKD stage and fundus lesion grade. Ordinal regression analysis indicated that sex differences, total cholesterol levels, and hemoglobin levels were significant predictors of fundus lesion risk. Compared with patients at stage 5 CKD, the risk of fundus damage is significantly lower in patients in stage 2 and stage 3, further demonstrating a positive correlation between renal function deterioration and increased risk of fundus damage. Conclusions: Routine fundus screening and early intervention for fundus lesions are vital for assessing CKD deterioration, providing new directions for future related research.