Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Kidney stones raise SDMA levels before creatinine in cats
By Hall, Jean A et al.·Published in PloS one·2017·Department of Biomedical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Serum concentrations of symmetric dimethylarginine and creatinine in cats with kidney stones.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of older cats with kidney stones was studied to see if they had higher levels of a substance called symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA), which can indicate kidney problems. The researchers found that 39 out of 43 cats with kidney stones had elevated SDMA levels, while only 18 had high creatinine levels, which are also used to assess kidney function. This suggests that SDMA can show kidney issues earlier than creatinine. The study also noted that cats with kidney stones had a shorter lifespan compared to healthy cats. If your older cat has high SDMA levels, it may be a good idea to have your vet check for kidney stones.
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Abstract
Serum concentrations of symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) correlate with renal function in cats and SDMA has been shown to be a more reliable and earlier marker for chronic kidney disease (CKD) compared with serum creatinine (Cr). Calcium oxalate uroliths tend to develop in mid-to-older aged cats and kidney stones may cause a reduction in renal function with increased SDMA, but normal serum Cr. The purpose of this retrospective study was to determine if cats with kidney stones had increased serum SDMA concentrations, and whether SDMA increased earlier than serum creatinine concentrations. Cats in the colony with kidney stones diagnosed between August 2010 and December 2015 (n = 43) were compared with healthy geriatric cats (n = 21) without kidney stones. Serum SDMA concentrations were determined by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and serum Cr concentrations were determined by enzymatic colorimetry. Cats with kidney stones were diagnosed antemortem by radiographic imaging (n = 12) or by postmortem necropsy (n = 31). Retrospectively, serum SDMA was found to be increased above the upper reference limit in 39 of 43 cats with kidney stones. Serum Cr was increased above the upper reference limit in 18 of 43 cats; 6 of these 18 cats had terminal azotemia only. The mean time that serum SDMA was increased before serum Cr was increased was 26.9 months (range 0 to 60 months). Kidney stones were composed of calcium oxalate in 30 of 34 cats. The lifespan for cats with kidney stones (mean, 12.5 years; range, 6.1 to 18.1 years) was shorter (P < 0.001) than for control cats (mean, 15.2 years; range, 13.0 to 17.2 years), suggesting that non-obstructive kidney stones have an effect on mortality rate or rate of CKD progression. In conclusion, if SDMA concentrations are elevated in mid-to-older aged cats, further imaging studies are warranted to check for the presence of kidney stones.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28384169/