Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Urine tests KIM-1 and GGT help diagnose acute kidney injury in dogs
By Lippi, Ilaria et al.·Published in Veterinary research communications·2018·Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Clinical utility of urine kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) in the diagnosis of canine acute kidney injury.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with acute kidney injury (AKI) had their urine tested for specific markers to help diagnose the condition. Researchers found that levels of kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) in urine were significantly higher in dogs with AKI compared to healthy dogs. These tests could help veterinarians identify kidney issues earlier, even before more severe symptoms appear. However, it's important to interpret these results carefully, especially in dogs that already have chronic kidney disease or urinary tract problems.
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Abstract
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of urine KIM-1 and urine GGT for the detection of naturally-occurring AKI, compared to healthy control dogs, dogs with stable chronic kidney disease (CKD), and dogs with lower urinary tract disorders (LUTD). The study included AKI grade 1 (n = 21), AKI grade 2 to 5 (n = 11), stable CKD (n = 11), LUTD (n = 15), and healthy dogs (n = 37). Urine KIM-1 (ng/mg) and GGT (U/l) were normalized to urine creatinine (uCr). Statistically significant difference in KIM/uCr (p = 0.0007) and GGT/uCr (p < 0.0001) was found among the study groups. Area under the curve (AUC) for KIM-1/uCr and GGT/uCr as predictors of AKI was 0.81 and 0.91 respectively. Values of KIM-1/uCr of 0.73 ng/mg and of GGT/uCr of 54.33 showed the best combination of sensitivity and specificity (75% and 75.6%; 85.7% and 89.1% respectively). A significant positive correlation (p < 0.0001) between KIM-1/uCr and GGT/uCr was found. Both urine KIM-1/uCr and GGT/uCr seemed to be potentially good markers for the diagnosis of AKI. Dogs with AKI showed significantly higher levels of urine KIM-1/uCr and urine GGT/uCr, compared with healthy dogs. Caution should be used in the evaluation of elevated urine KIM-1/uCr and GGT/uCr in dogs with pre-existing CKD and/or LUTD. Urine KIM-1/uCr and GGT/uCr might have a significant clinical utility, as complementary test, particularly in diagnosis early, non-azotemic stages of AKI.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29427053/