Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Plasma beta-hydroxybutyrate levels to detect diabetes in sick cats
By Zeugswetter, Florian et al.·Published in Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery·2010·Clinic for Small Animals and Infectious Diseases, Department for Companion Animals and Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinaerplatz, 1210 Vienna, Austria·View original on Crossref →
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Original publication title: Efficacy of plasma ß-hydroxybutyrate concentration as a marker for diabetes mellitus in acutely sick cats
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 122 sick cats, including 37 with diabetes, were tested to see if measuring a specific substance in their blood (plasma ß-hydroxybutyrate) could help identify diabetes more accurately than traditional urine tests. The diabetic cats had much higher levels of this substance, making it a reliable way to diagnose diabetes in cats that are unwell. This method showed a strong ability to differentiate between diabetic and non-diabetic cats, suggesting it could be a valuable tool for veterinarians.
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Abstract
Urine ketone measurement is routinely performed in cats with diabetes mellitus to identify impending or established ketoacidosis. Studies using the urinary ketone dipstick test have shown that ketonuria is common in cats with newly diagnosed untreated diabetes mellitus. This test has a low sensitivity as it quantifies the less abundant ketone acetoacetate. The objective of the present study was to determine if ketonaemia is an inherent biochemical finding in untreated feline diabetes mellitus by measuring plasma ß-hydroxybutyrate (ß-OHB) in acutely sick cats. In 122 sick cats (37 diabetic and 85 non-diabetic cats) plasma ß-OHB, glucose, fructosamine, total protein and thyroxine were measured as part of the routine work up. Diabetic cats had significantly elevated ß-OHB values and ß-OHB measurement was a sensitive and specific test to identify diabetes mellitus. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was 0.93. The cut off value with the highest positive likelihood ratio was 0.58 mmol/l. These results suggest that determination of plasma ß-OHB concentration is a useful method to distinguish between diabetic and non-diabetic sick cats.
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Search related cases →Original publication on Crossref: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfms.2009.10.002