The utility of combined urine dipstick analysis and specific gravity measurement to determine feline proteinuria.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES:

To assess the utility of urine dipstick strips for detection of feline proteinuria when used in combination with urine-specific gravity, compared with urine protein-to-creatinine ratio as the gold standard.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

Retrospective analysis of clinical records of comprehensive urine examination obtained from cats presented to a referral hospital. Diagnostic agreement and test accuracy were calculated for the dipstick test alone and in combination with the urine-specific gravity, using different cut-off values for proteinuria. Receiver-operating characteristic curves were also calculated.

RESULTS:

A total of 121 urine samples were included. The diagnostic agreement between dipstick and urine protein-creatinine ratio was poor. A dipstick result of equal or greater than "Trace" (0.1-0.3 g/L) had a sensitivity of 81% and a specificity of 31% to detect proteinuria. Grouping the samples by urine-specific gravity did not increase dipstick agreement with the urine protein-creatinine ratio and only resulted in a slight improvement in the accuracy of detecting proteinuria.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE:

The dipstick test was not accurate for detecting proteinuria when combined with urine-specific gravity in cats. Clinicians should not rely on this test and, regardless of the urine concentration, other appropriate quantitative methods such as urine protein-creatinine ratio should always be performed to detect proteinuria in cats.

• Authors: J Pérez-Accino, L Feo Bernabe, E G Manzanilla, J Puig
• Journal: The Journal of small animal practice (J Small Anim Pract) Vol. 61 Issue 9 Pg. 541-546 (Sep 2020) ISSN: 1748-5827 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 32692434 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: © 2020 The Authors. Journal of Small Animal Practice published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Small Animal Veterinary Association.

Chemical References

• Reagent Strips
• Creatinine

Topics

• Animals
• Cat Diseases (diagnosis)
• Cats
• Creatinine
• Proteinuria (diagnosis, veterinary)
• Reagent Strips
• Retrospective Studies
• Sensitivity and Specificity
• Specific Gravity
• Urinalysis (veterinary)