Skin denervation and its clinical significance in late-stage chronic kidney disease.

Objective: To investigate the skin innervation and its clinical significance in late-stage chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Design: Case series.

Setting: National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.

Patients: Forty consecutive nondiabetic patients with late-stage CKD (14 female and 26 male; mean [SD] age, 60.7 [12.3] years), including 2 cases with stage 3 CKD, 6 with stage 4 CKD, and 32 with stage 5 CKD, ie, end-stage kidney disease.

Interventions: Clinical evaluation of neurological deficits, nerve conduction study, autonomic function tests, and a 3-mm-diameter skin biopsy specimen taken from the distal leg.

Main Outcome Measures: Quantitation of epidermal innervation, parameters of nerve conduction study, R-R interval variability, and sympathetic skin response.

Results: Clinically, 21 patients (52.5%) were symptomatic with paresthesia over the limbs or autonomic symptoms. The intraepidermal nerve fiber (IENF) density was markedly reduced in patients with CKD compared with age- and sex-matched controls (mean [SD], 2.8 [2.0] vs 8.6 [2.8] fibers/mm; P < .001). Skin denervation was observed in 27 patients (67.5%). Fifteen patients (37.5%) had abnormalities on nerve conduction studies, and 29 patients (72.5%) had abnormal results on autonomic function tests. By analysis with multiple regression models, the IENF density was negatively correlated with the duration of renal disease (P = .02). Additionally, the R-R interval variability at rest was linearly correlated with the IENF density (P = .02) and the absence of sympathetic skin responses at the soles was associated with reduced IENF density (P = .03).

Conclusions: Small-fiber sensory and autonomic neuropathies constitute the major form of neuropathy in late-stage CKD. Furthermore, skin denervation was associated with the duration of renal disease.