Detection of early chronic kidney disease in cats
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JUL 01, 2020
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Kidney disease is one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality in older cats; Hannah Sargent and Jonathan Elliott review the best methods for early detection of the disease.
Jonathan Elliott
MA, Vet MB, PhD, Cert SAC, Dip. ECVPT, MRCVS - Royal Veterinary College, London, UK
After graduating from Cambridge University Veterinary School in 1985 Professor Elliott completed an internship at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia before gaining his PhD for research into vascular biology. He moved to the RVC in 1990 to pursue his research interests in feline kidney disease, hypertension, canine mitral valve disease and equine laminitis. He is currently Professor of Veterinary Clinical Pharmacology and Vice Principal for Research at RVC; he is also President of the ECVPT (2018-2021) and a member of IRIS, the International Renal Interest Society.
Hannah J. Sargent
BVetMed (Hons), MRCVS - Royal Veterinary College, London, UK
Hannah Sargent graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in 2013. After undertaking a one-year rotating small animal internship at the University of Nottingham School of Veterinary Science as the Royal Canin junior clinical training scholar she spent some time in small animal general practice. Dr. Sargent has a particular interest in renal disease and is currently completing a PhD in chronic feline kidney disease at the Royal Veterinary College.
Key Points
- Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common condition of older cats and has been reported as the second most common cause of death in cats over 5 years of age.
- Early diagnosis of feline CKD is important to allow timely appropriate therapeutic intervention as well as identification and treatment of underlying primary renal disease.
- Early diagnosis of CKD requires the use of plasma or serum creatinine, SDMA concentrations and urinalysis, rather than considering one parameter in isolation.
- Cats in early CKD may not present with clinical signs of disease and physical examination findings can also be normal, highlighting the importance of screening, particularly in geriatric cats.
Introduction
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is estimated to have a prevalence of up to 32% in cats over 12 years of age (1) and has been reported as the second most common cause of death in cats in the United Kingdom aged 5 years and older (2). In people CKD is recognized as a global public health problem, and the importance of intervention strategies focusing on early diagnosis is regarded as being key to tackling this global crisis. However, the major challenge for doctors is making a true diagnosis of early CKD, in particular due to the limitations of serum creatinine as a marker of glomerular filtration rate (GFR). This challenge is shared globally across disciplines; for the veterinarian, early diagnosis of CKD in cats would be a major advantage, as it prompts close monitoring for progression and the timely use of appropriate therapeutic interventions as well as early investigation for, identification and treatment of underlying primary renal disease. It is hoped that the recent availability of novel biomarkers – such as symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) – or other approaches using algorithms will help in identifying cats with early kidney disease, and that future research can aid our understanding of the appropriate therapeutic interventions these cats require to slow disease progression. This article briefly summarizes the current research on early diagnosis of feline CKD and how it can be applied in clinical practice. [...]
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How to reference this publication (Harvard system)?
(2020) “Detection of early chronic kidney disease in cats”, Renal Disease - Veterinary Focus - Vol. 30(1), June 2020. Available at: https://www.ivis.org/library/veterinary-focus/renal-disease-veterinary-focus-vol-301-june-2020/detection-of-early-chronic-kidney-disease-cats (Accessed: 05 June 2023).
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