Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How high bilirubin levels help diagnose bile duct blockage in cats
By Salord Torres, Xavier et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2024·Lumbry Park Veterinary Specialists (CVS), United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Diagnostic and predictive ability of hyperbilirubinemia severity in cats: A multicenter retrospective study.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 216 cats with high bilirubin levels (a substance that can indicate liver or bile duct issues) was studied to see if the severity of this condition could help identify biliary obstruction (a blockage in the bile duct). The results showed that cats with severe hyperbilirubinemia (bilirubin levels over 3.86 mg/dL) were more likely to have a biliary obstruction, which often requires emergency surgery. In fact, 7.9% of the cats had this obstruction, and their bilirubin levels were significantly higher than those without the blockage. This information can help veterinarians decide if surgery is needed based on bilirubin levels and the cat's age.
People also search for: cat high bilirubin levels · cat biliary obstruction symptoms · cat liver disease treatment
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Total serum bilirubin concentration (TBIL) can provide useful information on several pathophysiological conditions in cats. Nevertheless, whether the variable severity classification of hyperbilirubinemia can reliably indicate certain disease processes or predict a biliary obstruction (BO) has not been investigated. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVE: Determine if hyperbilirubinemia of variable severity can assist clinicians to identify BO, which often is considered a surgical emergency. ANIMALS: Two-hundred sixteen client-owned cats. METHODS: Data were retrospectively collected from all cats (January 2015-August 2022) with an increased TBIL (>0.58 mg/dL [>10 μmol/L]) presented to 3 referral centers in the United Kingdom (UK). Presenting clinical features and diagnostic outcomes were collected. The predictive ability of TBIL to indicate BO was evaluated by multivariable binary logistic regression modeling and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. RESULTS: Median TBIL was 1.73 mg/dL (range, 0.59-26.15; 29.5 μmol/L; range, 10.1-447.1) with severity classification of hyperbilirubinemia categorized as mild (>0.58-2.92 mg/dL; >10-50 μmol/L; 68.1%), moderate (>2.92-5.85 mg/dL; >50-100 μmol/L; 17.6%), severe (>5.85-11.70 mg/dL; >100-200 μmol/L; 9.7%) and very severe (>11.70 mg/dL; >200 μmol/L; 4.6%). Biliary obstruction was present in 17 (7.9%) cats, all of which received recommendation for emergency surgery. Median TBIL in cats with BO (9.69 mg/dL; 165.7 μmol/L) differed significantly from those without obstruction (1.51 mg/dL; 25.8 μmol/L; P < .01). The optimal TBIL cut-off to discriminate between cats with and without BO was ≥3.86 mg/dL (≥66 μmol/L) with a sensitivity of 94.1% and specificity of 82.4%. Using multivariable logistic regression, as age increased, the odds of BO increased significantly (odds ratio, 1.20; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-1.42; P = .04). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: As part of a thorough clinical assessment, the severity classification of hyperbilirubinemia has the potential to predict the likelihood of a BO and to discriminate between cats that may or may not require surgery for BO at a suggested cut-off of ≥3.86 mg/dL (≥66 μmol/L). Alongside TBIL, age is also useful when assessing for the likelihood of BO in a cat presented with hyperbilirubinemia.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38361342/