Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Urine electrolyte tests to diagnose Addison's disease in dogs
By Dropkin, Casey A. et al.·Published in Veterinary Clinical Pathology·2021·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences College of Veterinary Medicine Michigan State University East Lansing Michigan USA, United States·View original on Crossref →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Evaluation of urine electrolytes for the diagnosis of hypoadrenocorticism in dogs
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with suspected adrenal gland issues, specifically hypoadrenocorticism (HA), had their urine tested for sodium and potassium levels to see if it could help diagnose the condition. The results showed that dogs with HA had higher sodium to potassium ratios and different fractional excretion values compared to healthy dogs. However, the differences were not significant enough to reliably diagnose HA, as many healthy dogs had similar urine electrolyte levels. This means that while urine tests can show changes in dogs with HA, they are not dependable for making a diagnosis.
People also search for: dog adrenal gland disease symptoms · hypoadrenocorticism diagnosis in dogs · urine test for dog kidney issues
Abstract
AbstractBackgroundMost dogs with primary hypoadrenocorticism (HA) have a mineralocorticoid deficiency, which decreases renal tubular sodium reabsorption and potassium excretion. Limited information is available concerning the clinical value of measuring urine electrolytes to aid in an HA diagnosis.ObjectivesWe aimed to evaluate the diagnostic utility of urine electrolyte measurements in dogs with HA.MethodsUrine sodium and potassium concentrations were measured in 89 dogs, including 39 dogs with HA and 50 controls with nonadrenal illness. Fractional excretions of sodium (FENa) and potassium (FEK) were also calculated. Urine electrolytes and fractional excretion values were compared between the groups. Sensitivities and specificities were determined for various cut‐points.ResultsThe median urine sodium to potassium (Na:K) ratio was twofold greater (P < .001), and median FENawas fourfold greater (P < .001) in HA dogs as compared with controls. However, no cut‐point for any variable with >90% sensitivity or specificity provided a corresponding specificity or sensitivity of >50%. When only dogs with abnormal serum or plasma electrolytes were included in the analyses, absolute urine electrolyte concentrations and FENawere not different between study populations (P > .05 for all comparisons), but the FEKwas increased (P = .005) and the urine potassium:creatinine ratio was decreased (P < .001) in the control dogs compared with the dogs with HA.ConclusionsUrine electrolyte concentrations and fractional excretions are altered in dogs with HA. However, substantial overlap exists with control dogs with nonadrenal illness. Therefore, these values are unlikely to have diagnostic utility for dogs with HA.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on Crossref: https://doi.org/10.1111/vcp.13018