Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Amyloid A and haptoglobin levels in cats with breathing problems
By Gareis, Hannah & Schulz, Bianka·Published in Frontiers in veterinary science·2026·Clinic of Small Animal Medicine, Germany·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Evaluation of amyloid A and haptoglobin in the serum of cats with respiratory diseases.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats with respiratory issues were tested for two proteins, amyloid A and haptoglobin, to see if they could help identify specific diseases. The study found that cats with infections in their lower airways had higher levels of amyloid A compared to those with other respiratory conditions. However, all protein levels were still within normal ranges. Haptoglobin levels were elevated in cats with upper airway disease, infections, or cancer, but again, they did not clearly distinguish between the different conditions. This information could help vets decide on treatments for cats with respiratory infections.
People also search for: cat respiratory disease symptoms · cat coughing treatment · elevated haptoglobin in cats
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Acute-phase proteins (APPs) change in concentration during systemic inflammation. OBJECTIVES: To investigate serum concentrations of amyloid A (SAA) and haptoglobin (Hp) in various respiratory diseases in cats, and assess their potential to distinguish between different respiratory conditions. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Serum samples of 102 cats with respiratory signs and 20 healthy control cats were prospectively collected and tested for SAA and Hp. Cats were grouped based on conditions into feline lower airway disease (FLAD,= 26), infectious lower airway or pleural space disease (= 12), neoplastic lower airway or pleural space disease (= 17), congestive heart failure (CHF,= 29) and upper airway disease (UAD,= 18). RESULTS: Median SAA concentrations were significantly higher in cats with infectious lower airway or pleural space disease (2.61 μg/mL, IQR: 0.57-15.45 μg/mL) compared to cats with FLAD (0.14 μg/mL, IQR: 0.10-0.63 μg/mL;< 0.001). However, median values in all groups were within the reference range (< 6.7 μg/mL) and did not significantly differ from healthy controls. Median Hp levels were significantly higher in cats with UAD (2.41 g/L, IQR: 2.21-2.87 g/L;= 0.001), neoplastic (2.45 g/L, IQR: 2.10-2.86 g/L;< 0.001) and infectious lower airway or pleural space disease (2.60 g/L, IQR: 2.40-2.67 g/L;< 0.001) compared with FLAD (1.76 g/L, IQR: 0.99-2.26 g/L). Cats with UAD (< 0.001), neoplasia (< 0.001), infectious lower airway or pleural space disease (p < 0.001) and CHF (2.31 g/L, IQR: 0.84-2.57 g/L;= 0.002) showed significantly higher Hp values compared to healthy cats (1.25 g/L, IQR: 0.81-1.83 g/L) (reference range < 1.9 g/L). CONCLUSION: SAA and Hp are not suitable for clearly differentiating between different respiratory conditions in cats. However, increased SAA levels are more indicative of infections of the lower airways or pleural space than of FLAD, which could be helpful for therapeutic considerations.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42109870/