Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Calcium levels tested in 38 dogs with blastomycosis infection
By Crews, Laura J et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2007·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Evaluation of total and ionized calcium status in dogs with blastomycosis: 38 cases (1997-2006).
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 38 dogs diagnosed with blastomycosis (a fungal infection) had their blood calcium levels tested to see how well different methods could predict their calcium status. Most dogs had normal blood ionized calcium levels, but some tests overestimated low calcium levels in many dogs. Adjusting the calcium readings based on albumin (a protein in the blood) helped correct these misclassifications. Overall, high calcium levels were rare in these dogs, and the study suggests that some common tests might not always accurately reflect true calcium status.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To determine blood ionized calcium (iCa) and serum total calcium (tCa) concentrations in dogs with blastomycosis and to evaluate whether serum tCa concentration, albumin-adjusted serum calcium concentration (AdjCa-Alb), and total protein-adjusted serum calcium concentration (AdjCa-TP) accurately predict iCa status. DESIGN: Retrospective case series. ANIMALS: 38 client-owned dogs with a cytologic diagnosis of blastomycosis. PROCEDURES: Dogs were classified as hypocalcemic, normocalcemic, or hypercalcemic on the basis of blood iCa concentration, serum tCa concentration, AdjCa-Alb, and AdjCa-TP; classification on the basis of serum tCa concentration, AdjCa-Alb, and AdjCa-TP was compared with blood iCa concentration. RESULTS: Except for 2 hypercalcemic dogs, all dogs had blood iCa concentrations within the reference interval. Use of serum tCa concentration overestimated hypocalcemia in 57.9% (22/38) of dogs and underestimated hypercalcemia in 1 dog. Use of AdjCa-Alb correctly reclassified all dogs as normocalcemic that were classified as hypocalcemic on the basis of serum tCa concentration, but failed to predict hypercalcemia in 1 dog. Use of AdjCa-TP correctly reclassified all but 2 dogs as normocalcemic that were classified as hypocalcemic on the basis of serum tCa concentration, and failed to predict hypercalcemia in 1 dog. No correlation was found between blood iCa concentration and serum concentrations of tCa, total protein, and albumin; AdjCa-Alb; or AdjCa-TP. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: High blood iCa concentration was uncommon in dogs with blastomycosis. Hypoalbuminemia contributed to a low serum tCa concentration despite a blood iCa concentration within reference limits. The use of serum tCa concentration, AdjCa-Alb, and AdjCa-TP may fail to identify a small number of dogs with high blood iCa concentrations.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18020999/