Disc Edema in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease

Papilledema is defined as swelling of the optic nerves often due to increased intracranial pressure. When present, it often indicates life-threatening lesions of the brain such as tumors, abscesses, meningitis, encephalitis, venous sinus obstruction or intracranial hemorrhage. A similar clinical picture can also be caused by other conditions such as malignant hypertension, diabetic papillopathy and uremia. When the intracranial pressure is elevated in the absence of any known cause then it is called Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (IIH). Untreated papilledema can cause progressive optic nerve damage and blindness. Patients with chronic kidney disease have a number of co-morbidities and thus are at an increased risk for developing papilledema. Although clinicians have observed that patients with kidney diseases have increased incidence of papilledema (unpublished data by Corbett et al), there have been no studies on this subject to date. We believe that a higher incidence of papilledema is found in patients with kidney diseases and this study could provide evidence to suggest routine ophthalmic screening in this patient group. Hypothesis: The prevalence of optic disc swelling is increased in patients with chronic kidney disease. Purpose: To establish the prevalence of disc edema in patients with chronic kidney disease.