Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Anemia types and kidney link in adult cats from 1,098 blood tests
By Furman, E et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2014·Laboratory InVitro GmbH·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: A retrospective study of 1,098 blood samples with anemia from adult cats: frequency, classification, and association with serum creatinine concentration.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of adult cats was tested for anemia, which is a condition where there aren't enough healthy red blood cells. Out of over 30,000 blood samples, about 1,100 showed anemia, with more than half of those being nonregenerative, meaning their bodies weren't producing new red blood cells effectively. The study found that anemia was often linked to higher levels of creatinine, a marker for kidney issues. Unfortunately, the tests used to detect regenerative anemia weren't very reliable. If your cat is showing signs of weakness or lethargy, it's important to consult your vet for a blood test and further evaluation.
People also search for: cat anemia symptoms · cat kidney disease signs · how to treat cat anemia
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Frequency and classification of anemia in terms of regeneration status and erythrocyte indices are not well described in cats. OBJECTIVE: To determine frequency and regenerative status of anemia in samples from adult cats, to assess the sensitivity and specificity of macrocytosis and hypochromasia for detecting regenerative anemia (RA), and to evaluate the association of anemia with increased serum creatinine concentration (SC). STUDY POPULATION: Laboratory records from 30,503 blood samples from cats (2003-2011). METHODS: Clinicopathologic data reviewed retrospectively. Anemia defined as hematocrit (Ht) ≤27%, red blood cell count (RBC) ≤5.5 × 10(6)/μL and hemoglobin (Hb) ≤9.0 g/dL. RA defined by manual absolute reticulocyte count >50 × 10(3)/μL. Macrocytosis was defined as mean corpuscular volume (MCV) >55 fL and hypochromasia as mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) <31 g/dL. Cutoff for increased serum creatinine concentration was 1.6 mg/dL. RESULTS: Overall, 1,098 of 30,503 blood samples (3.6%) from cats fulfilled criteria for anemia, 633 of 1,098 (57.7%) classified as nonregenerative (NRA) and 465 of 1,098 (42.3%) as regenerative. RBC, Ht, and Hb were significantly lower in the RA compared to NRA group (P < .05). Sensitivity and specificity of the combined high MCV and low MCHC to detect samples with RA were 19.5 and 90.7%. SC was increased in 572 of the 1,098 anemic samples (52.1%) and in 11,121 of 29,405 of nonanemic samples (37.8%). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Majority of anemic samples were classified as NRA. Anemia was more severe in cats with RA. Erythrocyte indices were not sensitive indicators of RA.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25274437/