Clinical and laboratory characteristics of the renoretinal syndrome in diabetics

Abstract

A total of 107 diabetics were examined using general clinical methods, assessment of microalbuminemia, Rehberg’s test for renal function, coagulogram, thromboelastogram, lipid spectrum of the serum, and ophthalmological examination. The stages of diabetic nephropathy and retinopathy and degree of the major pathological changes in the retina were found to be in direct correlation. Initial diabetic retinopathy was found to develop earlier than nephropathy in the majority of patients, and preproliferative and proliferative retinopathy was appreciably more incident in the presence of diabetic nephropathy. Changes in the fundus oculi were more expressed in patients with type I diabetes and nephropathy than in those with type II condition. At the same time, the development of diabetic nephropathy was associated with deterioration of the fundus oculi parameters only in diabetics with type II condition, whereas in those with type I disease it influenced only the number of microaneurysms. The progress of diabetic nephropathy with increase of proteinuria may be caused by such risk factors as microcirculatory disorders and changes in the lipid spectrum of the blood serum.