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Published on: February 19, 2014
Factors associated with hematuric struvite crystalluria in cats
Chika C Okafor1, David L Pearl2, Shauna L Blois3
1Department of Biomedical and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA.
Insights
Young cats on dry food are more prone to hematuric struvite crystalluria (HSC). Risk factors for HSC in cats include being unneutered, thin body condition, cystitis, alkaline urine, pyuria, and bacteriuria.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Medicine
- Urology
- Internal Medicine
Background:
- Hematuric struvite crystalluria (HSC) is a condition affecting cats.
- Identifying risk factors for HSC is crucial for early detection and management in veterinary practice.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify dietary, signalment, geographic, and clinical factors associated with HSC in US cats.
- To provide data that can aid clinicians in screening for struvite crystalluria.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective study analyzing medical records of 4032 cats with HSC and 8064 control cats.
- Data extracted included age, sex, diet, body condition, and urinalysis results.
- Statistical analysis to estimate associations between variables and HSC.
Main Results:
- Young cats fed dry diets showed increased HSC likelihood, which decreased with age.
- Older cats on non-dry diets had increased HSC likelihood.
- Significant risk factors included being unneutered, thin body condition, cystitis, alkaline urine pH, pyuria, and bacteriuria.
Conclusions:
- The study identifies key signalment and clinical characteristics associated with HSC in cats.
- Findings can guide veterinarians in targeted screening for struvite crystalluria.
- Further research is recommended to explore the clinical significance of HSC.
Objectives:
The aim of the study was to identify any dietary, signalment, geographic and clinical factors associated with hematuric struvite crystalluria (HSC) in a population of cats that visit general care veterinary hospitals in the USA.
Methods:
In total, 4032 cats that had a first-time diagnosis of HSC and 8064 control cats with no history of hematuria or crystalluria were identified from medical records of all cats examined between 2007 and 2011 at 790 US veterinary hospitals. Extracted variables included age, sex, neuter status, breed, diet, urinalysis results and history of cystitis. Potential associations between these variables and HSC were estimated.
Results:
Controlling for other factors, young cats fed a dry diet had an increased likelihood of HSC relative to young cats fed a non-dry diet. However, as age increased, the likelihood of HSC declined for cats fed a dry diet and increased for cats fed a non-dry diet. Moreover, the odds of HSC were significantly greater when cats were unneutered (vs neutered; odds ratio [OR] 45.52) or had a thin (vs heavy) body condition (OR 23.81), diagnosis of cystitis (OR 2.84), urine protein concentration >30 mg/dl (OR 4.72), alkaline (vs neutral) urine pH (OR 3.34), pyuria (OR 23.67) or bacteriuria (OR 2.24).
Conclusions And Relevance:
The present study provides estimates of the strengths of association between HSC and certain signalment and clinical characteristics of cats. This information could help clinicians to perform a more directed screening for struvite crystalluria in certain cat populations. Follow-up studies that build on the findings of this study could explore the clinical importance of HSC in cats.
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