Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Measuring beta-hydroxybutyrate to diagnose diabetic ketoacidosis
By Weingart, Christiane et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc·2012·Clinic of Small Animals, Germany·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Measurement of β-hydroxybutyrate in cats with nonketotic diabetes mellitus, diabetic ketosis, and diabetic ketoacidosis.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats with diabetes was studied to see how well a specific blood test for beta-hydroxybutyrate (a type of ketone) could help diagnose diabetic ketosis and diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), which are serious complications of diabetes. The researchers found that healthy cats had very low levels of this ketone, while cats with DKA had significantly higher levels. They established that a beta-hydroxybutyrate level of 2.4 mmol/l or higher could accurately indicate DKA. This test can be very helpful for veterinarians in diagnosing these dangerous conditions in diabetic cats.
People also search for: cat diabetes symptoms · diabetic ketoacidosis in cats · beta-hydroxybutyrate test for cats
Abstract
Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a life-threatening complication of diabetes mellitus (DM). The standard method of detection of ketone bodies is the dipstick method, which detects semiquantitatively acetoacetate, but not β-hydroxybutyrate (β-HB). The objectives of the current study were to assess the diagnostic utility of β-HB to diagnose diabetic ketosis (DK) and DKA in cats and to establish a cut-off value for the diagnosis of DKA. Sixty-two cats were included in the study. Eleven cats were healthy (group 1); in the remainder of cats (51), a diagnosis of DM was based on hyperglycemia, glucosuria, and increased fructosamine concentrations. Nineteen of 51 cats suffered from nonketotic diabetes mellitus (group 2). In 11 cats, plasma ketone bodies were detected with the dipstick method (diabetic ketosis, group 3). In 21 cats, plasma ketone bodies and metabolic acidosis were present (DKA, group 4). Plasma β-HB was measured in all cats by an enzymatic method (spectrophotometry). A cut-off value for the diagnosis of DKA was calculated based on the receiver operating characteristic curve. In healthy cats, the β-HB concentration ranged from 0 to 0.1 mmol/l; in cats of group 2, from 0 to 0.9 mmol/l (median: 0.1 mmol/l); in cats of group 3, from 0.6 to 6.8 mmol/l (median: 1.7 mmol/l); and in cats of group 4, from 3.8 to 12.2 mmol/l (median: 7.9 mmol/l). A cut-off value of 2.4 mmol/l revealed 100% sensitivity and 87% specificity to diagnose DKA. Beta-hydroxybutyrate is a useful parameter for the diagnosis of diabetic ketosis and DKA in cats.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22362525/