Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Liver enzyme changes in cats with high thyroid hormone levels
By Papakonstantinou, Stratos·Published in Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc·2023·Finn Pathologists and Axiom Veterinary Laboratories, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Assessment of serum glutamate dehydrogenase activity and comparison to serum alanine aminotransferase activity in cats with increased blood total T4 concentration.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats with high thyroid hormone levels (hyperthyroidism) had their blood tested for liver enzymes, specifically glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT). Out of the cats with elevated thyroid levels, about 27% showed increased GLDH activity, but most had even higher ALT levels. This suggests that while some cats with hyperthyroidism may have liver issues indicated by GLDH, ALT is a more common and significant marker for liver health in these cases. Understanding these enzyme levels can help veterinarians better assess liver function in cats with hyperthyroidism.
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Abstract
Glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH), a key enzyme in amino acid oxidation and urea production, is mainly derived from the liver and its activity may increase with hepatocellular necrosis. Feline hyperthyroidism is associated with elevated serum activities of various enzymes, but the pattern of serum GLDH activity has not been reported, to our knowledge. Feline clinical biochemistry results from 2 commercial diagnostic laboratories were reviewed retrospectively to assess changes in serum GLDH activity in cats with significantly elevated serum total T4 concentrations, which is highly suggestive of hyperthyroidism. A total of 2,773 records were analyzed, of which 2,370 (85%) had normal total T4 (≤50 nmol/L) and 403 (15%) had increased total T4 (≥60 nmol/L) concentrations. Among cats with an increased total T4 concentration, 26.5% had increased serum GLDH activity. All cats with increased GLDH activity also had increased serum ALT activity. In 42.9% of cats, ALT activity was increased, but GLDH activity was normal. In 30.5% of cats, both serum GLDH and ALT activities were within RIs. The fold-increase of GLDH activity was almost half of the ALT fold-increase. Although serum GLDH activity increased in some cats with hyperthyroidism, serum ALT activity increased more frequently and to a greater extent.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36744764/