Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Kidney markers compared in dogs with pulmonary hypertension
By Leong, Zi Ping·Published in The Journal of veterinary medical science·2025·Leong VetCardio Services·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: A pilot study investigating renal biomarkers in dogs with pulmonary hypertension: a comparison between cystatin-C, symmetric dimethylarginine, and creatinine.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of seventeen dogs with pulmonary hypertension (PH) were studied to see how this condition affects kidney function. The researchers found that dogs with PH had higher levels of certain kidney markers, specifically cystatin C (CYS-C) and symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA), compared to healthy dogs. These markers can help veterinarians assess kidney health in dogs with PH. CYS-C was particularly useful for detecting early kidney issues related to the severity of PH, while creatinine levels did not show significant differences. Understanding these markers can help improve the management of dogs suffering from both PH and kidney problems.
People also search for: dog pulmonary hypertension symptoms · kidney function tests for dogs · cystatin C in dogs
Abstract
Pulmonary hypertension (PH) can affect renal function, yet renal dysfunction in canine PH is relatively underexplored. Cystatin C (CYS-C), a useful marker for evaluating renal function in humans with PH, has not been studied in dogs. This study aimed to compare seventeen dogs with PH to a control group, evaluating the relationship between PH and renal parameters such as symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA), creatinine, and CYS-C. The mean tricuspid regurgitation maximal velocity (TRmax) and systolic pulmonary arterial pressure (SPAP) in dogs with PH was 4.24 m/sec and 74.48 mmHg, respectively. Dogs with PH exhibited significantly higher SDMA (15.47 μg/dL vs. 10.55 μg/dL) and CYS-C (1.36 mg/L vs. 0.88 mg/L) compared to controls. SDMA showed moderate positive correlations with SPAP (r=0.682) and TRmax (r=0.662), and a negative moderate correlation with mean arterial pressure (r=-0.590). CYS-C moderately correlated with SPAP (r=0.529), TRmax (r=0.485), heart rate (r=0.506), and body weight (r=0.691). Creatinine did not vary significantly between PH group (122.21 μmol/L) and controls (93.70 μmol/L), nor did it correlate with any parameters. Multivariate analysis revealed that CYS-C was significantly influenced by PH severity, while SDMA and creatinine were not. These findings suggest that renal dysfunction is prevalent in dogs with PH. CYS-C may be a more sensitive marker for detecting early renal changes linked to PH severity, while SDMA appears to be more specific to true renal dysfunction and creatinine was the least informative biomarker.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40518282/