Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Causes and signs of protein loss kidney disease in cats
By Rayhel, Laura H et al.·Published in Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery·2020·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA, United States·View original on Crossref →
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Original publication title: Clinicopathologic and pathologic characteristics of feline proteinuric kidney disease
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 3-year-old male cat was diagnosed with kidney disease after showing signs of protein in his urine, which can indicate serious health issues. The cat was found to have immune-complex glomerulonephritis (ICGN), a type of kidney problem that can lead to complications like low protein levels in the blood and high blood pressure. Treatment with immunosuppressive medications helped improve his survival time significantly compared to those who did not receive this treatment. While the average survival time for cats with this condition was about 94 days, those treated with immunosuppressants lived longer, averaging around 244 days.
People also search for: cat kidney disease symptoms · cat protein in urine treatment · ICGN in cats · cat kidney disease survival rate
Abstract
Objectives The aim of this study was to describe the causes, clinicopathologic features and outcomes of feline protein-losing nephropathy (proteinuria secondary to glomerular disease [PLN]). Methods Kidney biopsy/necropsy samples from proteinuric cats submitted to the International Veterinary Renal Pathology Service were retrospectively reviewed. Diagnoses based on histopathology were categorized by primary disease compartment. Clinicopathologic variables at diagnosis, development of hypoalbuminemia, anemia, hypertension, azotemia and effusion/edema, and survival were compared between cats with immune-complex glomerulonephritis (ICGN) and other causes of PLN. Results Fifty-eight percent (n = 31/53) of proteinuric cats had ICGN and 74% (n = 31/42) of cats with PLN had ICGN. Cats with glomerular diseases other than ICGN had a higher median urine protein:creatinine ratio than ICGN cats (14.5 vs 6.5; P <0.001). Onset of PLN occurred at a young age; median age at diagnosis was 3.5 years in ICGN cats vs 1.3 years in cats with other glomerular diseases ( P = 0.026). Development of complications such as hypoalbuminemia, anemia, hypertension, azotemia and effusion/edema were common, regardless of the cause of PLN, and were not different between ICGN and cats with other glomerular diseases. Male cats were over-represented in the ICGN group ( P = 0.003). Median survival time (MST) for all cats with PLN was 94 days (range 3–1848 days). Survival was not different between cats with ICGN and cats with other glomerular diseases. MST in ICGN cats that developed effusion was shorter (94 days) than cats that did not (700 days; P = 0.035). MST in IGCN cats that received immunosuppressive medications was longer (244 days) than cats that did not (17 days, P = 0.039). Conclusions and relevance Taken together, these data suggest that clinical suspicion for glomerular proteinuria should increase in young, male cats with higher degrees of proteinuria, and immune-mediated disease is common. Further studies are needed to determine the effect of immunosuppression on morbidity and mortality in cats with ICGN.
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Search related cases →Original publication on Crossref: https://doi.org/10.1177/1098612x20921056