Parathyroid Hormone Concentration in Dogs Affected by Acute Kidney Injury Compared with Healthy and Chronic Kidney Disease
by
, , , and
Jari Zambarbieri
1
,
Erika Monari
2,
Francesco Dondi
2,*,
Pierangelo Moretti
1,
Alessia Giordano
1 and
Paola Scarpa
1 1
Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, University of Milan, Via dell’Università 6, 26900 Lodi, Italy
2
Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum—University of Bologna, Via Tolara di Sopra n 50, 40064 Ozzano dell’Emilia, Italy
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Vet. Sci. 2025, 12(2), 131; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci12020131
Submission received: 13 November 2024
/
Revised: 22 January 2025
/
Accepted: 3 February 2025
/
Published: 6 February 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Veterinary Internal Medicine)
Simple Summary
This study aimed to investigate parathyroid hormone (PTH) status during canine acute kidney injury (AKI); while renal secondary hyperparathyroidism (RSHPT) is known to be a consequence of chronic kidney disease (CKD), there are no data regarding PTH concentrations in AKI patients, to date. Including three study groups, e.g., healthy patients, AKI patients and CKD dogs, respectively, biochemical parameters and PTH concentrations were compared between study groups. The PTH concentrations were significantly higher in both the AKI and CKD groups compared to healthy patients but without significant differences between these two latter study groups. In the AKI group, increased PTH concentrations were detected in 88.6% of dogs. Based on the results of this study, higher PTH concentrations also occurred in canine AKI, presumably as a result of the ionized hypocalcemia and hyperphosphatemia reported in these patients. On the other hand, PTH was not a useful tool for distinguishing AKI from CKD patients. The novelty of these data should be considered as a first step to a better understanding of PTH concentrations in canine AKI, knowing that future prospective studies are needed to better elucidate PTH kinetics over time in these patients.
Abstract
Information about parathyroid hormone (PTH) status in the course of AKI is lacking. In contrast, renal secondary hyperparathyroidism (RSHPT) is a well-known consequence of canine chronic kidney disease (CKD). This study aimed to investigate PTH status in dogs affected by AKI, comparing PTH concentrations between healthy dogs, dogs affected by AKI and dogs affected by CKD. Three groups of dogs (35 affected by AKI, 35 affected by CKD and 41 healthy) were retrospectively included. PTH concentrations were significantly higher in both the AKI and CKD groups (p < 0.0001) compared to healthy ones but without significant differences between the AKI and CKD groups. In the AKI group, increased PTH was detected in 88.6% of dogs. Moreover, in AKI dogs, PTH increases with AKI grading and is correlated with serum creatinine (p < 0.0001; r = 0.67) and phosphate concentrations (p < 0.0001; r = 0.74). PTH in AKI dogs was not correlated with total calcium (tCa), while it was negatively correlated with ionized calcium (iCa) (p < 0.0037; r = −0.53). Higher PTH concentrations also occurred in canine AKI, as reported in canine CKD and human AKI, presumably as a rapid response to ionized hypocalcemia and hyperphosphatemia, frequently reported in our patients. PTH seems not to be a useful tool in distinguishing AKI and CKD.
