Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Age-specific blood and urine test ranges for elderly cats
By Mortier, Femke et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2023·Small Animal Department·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Determination of age-specific reference intervals for selected serum and urinary biomarkers in elderly cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A study found that healthy cats aged 7 years and older can have different normal levels for certain blood and urine tests compared to younger cats. This is important for detecting issues like chronic kidney disease (CKD) and hyperthyroidism early. The researchers established new reference ranges for tests such as serum creatinine and total thyroxine, which can help vets better interpret health screenings for older cats. These age-specific ranges can lead to more accurate diagnoses and better care for your elderly feline friend.
People also search for: elderly cat health screening · chronic kidney disease in cats · hyperthyroidism symptoms in older cats
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Annual health screening is recommended in elderly cats to allow the early detection of conditions such as chronic kidney disease (CKD) and hyperthyroidism. Nevertheless, age-specific reference intervals (RIs) for renal and thyroid parameters in this population are lacking. The aim of this study was to determine age-specific RIs for selected serum and urine biomarkers related to CKD and hyperthyroidism, namely serum creatinine (sCr), symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA), phosphate (P), total calcium (tCa), total thyroxine (TT4), urinary protein:creatinine ratio (UPC) and urine specific gravity (USG). These RIs were established for elderly cats (aged ⩾7 years) in general, as well as for mature adult cats (aged 7-10 years) and senior cats (aged >10 years) separately. METHODS: A prospective study was conducted on client-owned cats aged ⩾7 years and considered healthy by their owners. The cats were screened to rule out metabolic and systemic diseases by means of a thorough history, complete physical examination, blood examination and urinalysis. The data from 206 healthy elderly cats (134 mature adult and 72 senior cats) were included. Age-appropriate RIs were determined following the guidelines of the American Society of Veterinary Clinical Pathology and compared with existing laboratory RIs. RESULTS: Clinically relevant differences between the age-specific RI and the laboratory RI were found for several variables. Compared with the laboratory RI, the upper limit of the RI for cats aged ⩾7 years was lower for sCr, TT4 and P, and higher for SDMA. The lower limit of the age-appropriate RI was lower for USG. The new RI was almost identical to the existing laboratory RI for tCa and UPC. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Using age-specific RIs for renal and thyroid biomarkers in mature adult and senior cats has important clinical consequences for the interpretation of health screening results in elderly cats. This confirms the need to adapt laboratory RIs to the specific animal population for which the RI will be used.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37991462/