Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Link between serum amyloid A levels and protein in cat urine
By Smith, Arran et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2026·Department of Veterinary Medicine, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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 We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above.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: Investigation of the association between serum amyloid A concentrations and proteinuria in cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats with protein in their urine (proteinuria) were studied to see if there was a link to higher levels of serum amyloid A (SAA), a marker of inflammation. The results showed that cats with increased SAA levels had significantly higher urine protein levels compared to those with normal SAA levels. In fact, 72% of the cats with increased SAA were found to have proteinuria, while only 36% of the normal SAA group had the same issue. This suggests that inflammation might play a role in causing proteinuria in some cats, but more research is needed to confirm this connection.
People also search for: cat protein in urine treatment · cat high serum amyloid A levels · cat kidney disease symptoms
Abstract
ObjectivesThe aims of the present study were to evaluate the association between serum amyloid A (SAA) concentrations and proteinuria in cats without known pre-renal, renal and post-renal causes of proteinuria and to document the magnitude of proteinuria in these cases.MethodsCats with contemporaneous SAA and urine protein:creatinine ratio (UPC) data and without renal azotaemia, evidence of reduced urine concentrating ability, active urine sediment, hyperthyroidism, diabetes mellitus and recent steroid administration were included. Cats with SAA concentrations above 3.9 µg/dl were classified as having increased SAA. UPC was compared between cats with and without increased SAA using the Mann-Whitney U-test, comparisons between the proportion of cases classified as proteinuric (UPC >0.4 or >0.2) between the groups were made using Fisher's exact test, and correlations were assessed using Spearman's correlation coefficient. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the association between SAA and UPC.ResultsUPC was significantly higher in the increased SAA group than in the normal SAA group (0.32 [0.11-1.25] vs 0.17 [0.08-0.59]; = 0.002) and cats with increased SAA were also more likely to be borderline or overtly proteinuric (UPC >0.2) than cats in the normal SAA group (72% vs 36%; = 0.02). There was also a moderate positive correlation between UPC and SAA ( = 0.519;<0.001).Conclusions and relevanceIncreased UPC is associated with increased SAA concentrations in cats, although the severity of proteinuria in these cases is usually mild. Systemic inflammation might contribute to proteinuria in some cats, although further studies are required to establish a causal relationship.
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 PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41510759/