Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How common are kidney tissue changes in cats without kidney disease
By Quimby, Jessica M et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2022·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Frequency of histologic lesions in the kidneys of cats without kidney disease.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A study looked at kidney tissue from 74 cats that were healthy and showed no signs of kidney disease. It found that older cats, especially those over 10 years old, had more kidney changes like scarring and inflammation compared to younger cats. These changes suggest that as cats age, their kidneys may become more vulnerable to damage and may not heal as well. This information can help pet owners understand the importance of regular check-ups for older cats to monitor kidney health.
People also search for: cat kidney health in older cats · signs of kidney disease in cats · how to care for senior cats' kidneys
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: In humans, renal aging is associated with an increased frequency of glomerulosclerosis, interstitial fibrosis, inflammation and tubular atrophy. The purpose of this study was to describe the frequency of renal histopathologic lesions in cats without kidney disease. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of archival kidney tissue from 74 cats without kidney disease (serum creatinine <1.6 mg/dl; urine specific gravity >1.035) was carried out: 0-4 years (young, n = 18); 5-9 years (mature, n = 16); 10-14 years (senior, n = 34), 15+ years (geriatric, n = 6). Glomerulosclerosis, tubular atrophy, interstitial inflammation and fibrosis, and the presence or absence of lipid in the interstitium and tubules were scored by a pathologist masked to clinical data. Statistical analyses were performed as appropriate. RESULTS: Geriatric cats had significantly more glomerulosclerosis than mature ( = 0.01) and young cats ( = 0.004). Senior cats had significantly more glomerulosclerosis than young cats ( = 0.006). Glomerulosclerosis was weakly positively correlated with age ( = 0.48;<0.0001). Geriatric cats had significantly more tubular atrophy than mature ( = 0.02) and young cats (<0.0001). Senior cats had significantly more tubular atrophy than young cats (<0.0001). Geriatric cats had significantly more inflammation than senior cats ( = 0.02), mature cats ( = 0.01) and young cats (<0.0001). Senior cats had significantly more inflammation than young cats ( = 0.004). Geriatric and senior cats had significantly more fibrosis than young cats ( = 0.01 and = 0.04, respectively). Frequency of tubular lipid increased with age (young: 28%; mature: 56%; senior: 79%; geriatric: 100%) as did the frequency of interstitial lipid (young: 22%, mature: 56%, senior: 85%, geriatric: 100%). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Evidence of renal aging exists in cats. These changes imply that the aging kidney may be more susceptible to injury and impaired healing.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36475921/