Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How reticulocyte tests help check iron in cats with kidney disease
By Betting, Adeline et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2022·Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Diagnostic value of reticulocyte indices for the assessment of the iron status of cats with chronic kidney disease.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 64 cats, including those with chronic kidney disease (CKD), were evaluated to see how well certain blood tests could identify iron deficiency. The study found that 14% of the cats had low iron levels, and one specific test (corpuscular hemoglobin, or CHr) showed a good ability to detect this deficiency. This test could help veterinarians better assess iron status in cats with CKD, which is important for their overall health.
People also search for: cat chronic kidney disease symptoms · cat iron deficiency treatment · how to diagnose iron deficiency in cats
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Reticulocyte indices have been suggested as alternatives to transferrin saturation (TSAT) for iron status assessment in humans and dogs but they have not been evaluated thoroughly in cats. OBJECTIVES: To assess the value of the reticulocyte indices for the diagnosis of iron deficiency in cats with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and chronic hematuria associated with subcutaneous ureteral bypasses (SUBs). ANIMALS: Sixty-four cats: 16 healthy, 14 CKD without SUB, and 34 CKD with SUB. METHODS: Prospective observational cross-sectional study of cats presented for routine nephrology visits. Primary outcomes included assessment of the diagnostic values of erythrocyte indices (mean corpuscular volume, hemoglobin, and hemoglobin concentration: MCV, MCH, and MCHC) and reticulocyte indices (mean corpuscular volume, MCVr; corpuscular hemoglobin, CHr), using TSAT as reference. RESULTS: Iron deficiency was diagnosed in 9/64 cats (14%). A receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis yielded a moderate discriminatory value for CHr in this diagnosis: area under the curve [AUC] = .75 (95% confidence interval, 0.48-0.89); P = .006; sensitivity 67%, specificity 82% for a cutoff of 15.9 pg. This compared favorably to MCVr (AUC = .63; P = .29), MCV (AUC = .58; P = .45), MCH (AUC = .64; P = .19), and MCHC (AUC = .7; P = .03). CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: CHr added moderate value to the diagnosis of iron deficiency in cats with CKD.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35090061/