Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Urine biomarker levels in dogs with immune hemolytic anemia
By Lantzaki, Vasiliki et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2025·University of Glasgow, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Urine Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin in Non-Associative Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia: A Prospective Controlled Study in 22 Dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 22 dogs with a condition called immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA) showed higher levels of a kidney injury marker called uNGAL in their urine compared to healthy dogs. This suggests that kidney damage might be more common in dogs with IMHA than previously thought. The study found that dogs with hemoglobinuria (blood in urine) had even higher uNGAL levels, indicating a potential link between kidney issues and this symptom. However, the study did not find a clear connection between uNGAL levels and whether the dogs survived their treatment.
People also search for: dog hemolytic anemia symptoms · kidney problems in dogs · IMHA treatment for dogs
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Urine neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (uNGAL) is a biomarker for the early diagnosis of AKI. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate uNGAL in dogs with non-associative immune mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA) and to evaluate whether uNGAL correlates with disease severity markers, negative prognostic indicators and outcome. ANIMALS: Twenty-two dogs with non-associative IMHA and 14 healthy dogs. METHODS: Prospective case-control study. uNGAL was measured by a commercially available ELISA-kit and corrected to urine creatinine (uNGAL to creatinine ratio [UNCR]). uNGAL and UNCR of IMHA cases were compared to that of healthy dogs and the correlation with other clinicopathological markers was evaluated. uNGAL and UNCR were also compared between dogs with a CHAOS or ASA score < 3 and ≥ 3. RESULTS: uNGAL and UNCR were significantly higher in dogs with IMHA when compared to healthy controls (uNGAL median 114.58 and 0.43 ng/mL, respectively, p < 0.001; UNCR median 174.87 and 0.13 ng/mg, respectively, p < 0.001). uNGAL and UNCR were moderately positively correlated with urea (p = 0.005, r = 0.58, 0.20-0.81 95% CI and p = 0.001, r = 0.64, 0.29-0.84 95% CI, respectively) and total bilirubin (p = 0.003, r = 0.60, 0.22-0.82 95% CI and p = 0.002, r = 0.62, 0.25-0.83 95% CI, respectively). These were also significantly higher in dogs with hemoglobinuria compared to those without (uNGAL: median 269 and 30.99 ng/mL, respectively, p < 0.001; UNCR: median 585.3 and 352 37.47 ng/mg, respectively, p < 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in uNGAL or UNCR when assessing survival to discharge (p = 0.24 and p = 0.16, respectively, 95% CI). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that renal injury might be underappreciated in dogs with IMHA.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39871050/