Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How potassium levels help diagnose Addison's disease in dogs
By Petini, M et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2023·San Marco Veterinary Clinic, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Diagnostic predictivity of transtubular potassium gradient for primary hypoadrenocorticism in hyperkalemic dogs: a cross-sectional study.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with high potassium levels was tested for primary hypoadrenocorticism (a condition where the adrenal glands don't produce enough hormones). The study found that dogs with this condition were generally younger and had different sodium and potassium levels compared to those without it. The best indicators for diagnosing this condition included measuring sodium levels and a specific index combining sodium and potassium measurements. This new method could help veterinarians make better decisions when diagnosing dogs with high potassium levels.
People also search for: dog high potassium levels · primary hypoadrenocorticism symptoms · diagnosing adrenal disease in dogs
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Transtubular potassium gradient has never been evaluated in the diagnosis of primary hypoadrenocorticism in dogs. The objective of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic utility of transtubular potassium gradient for the diagnosis of primary hypoadrenocorticism in dogs with serum K > 5.5 mol/L. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cross-sectional study including dogs with primary hypoadrenocorticism and dogs with other disease. Differences in signalment and laboratory parameters between groups were assessed by binary logistic regression modelling. Variables significantly associated with primary hypoadrenocorticism were evaluated for their diagnostic accuracy of this condition by receiver operator characteristic curve analysis and by multivariable logistic regression analysis, respectively. RESULTS: Dogs with primary hypoadrenocorticism (n=39) were significantly younger than hyperkalemic dogs without primary hypoadrenocorticism (n=41). Moreover they had higher serum and urinary concentrations of Naand Na:K, but lower transtubular potassium gradient than hyperkalemic dogs without hypoadrenocorticism. Serum Na(sNa) had the highest diagnostic accuracy (area under the curve [AUC]: 0.87, 95% confidence interval, 0.78 to 0.96), followed by the transtubular potassium gradient (AUC: 0.81, 0.72 to 0.91), however the accuracy of the two AUCs was not statistically different. The transtubular potassium gradient-sNaadditive index (i.e. transtubular potassium gradient+sNa/10) had a greater accuracy (AUC: 0.88, 0.79 to 0.94) than transtubular potassium gradient or sNa, although it was not statistically superior to the latter. The multivariable logistic regression model showed that transtubular potassium gradient (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 0.51, 0.3 to 0.84), sNa(aOR: 0.86, 0.78 to 0.95) and spayed female (aOR: 24.96, 2.32 to 267.66) were associated with primary hypoadrenocorticism. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Transtubular potassium gradient-sNaadditive index can contribute to decision-making on diagnosis of primary hypoadrenocorticism in dogs presenting with hyperkalaemia.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37037658/