Why should dogs and cats be tested for cystatin C (Cys-C)?
Cystatin C production and metabolism
Cystatin C, a protein belonging to the cysteine protease inhibitor family, is produced by all nucleated cells at a constant rate and is an ideal endogenous indicator, with its concentration in the blood almost entirely dependent on GFR. It is filtered freely by the kidney and decomposes after absorption in the proximal tubule. In fact, unless the proximal tubule is injured, it does not return to the bloodstream. In nephrology, this endogenous substance is regarded as a marker of renal excretory function and is more sensitive than creatinine.
Application of cystatin c in physical examination
1. Annual physical examination of young animals
Pets in the childhood is very vulnerable, in addition to the threat of infectious diseases, congenital genetic diseases are also a major cause of death of young pets.
Common diseases such as congenital kidney disease and congenital heart disease; Not intervening with the disease can lead to a much shorter life span and less quality of life. For most of these diseases, the pathogenic defects, pathogenesis and inheritance patterns remain unknown. Congenital kidney disease is a progressive disease that usually causes chronic kidney failure in diseased animals. Once an animal's early kidney injury progresses to a state of chronic kidney failure, treatment is very difficult.
Dog congenital kidney disease is not more common, common congenital kidney disease such as kidney congenital dysplasia, some breeds are more frequent, such as golden retriever, Shih Tzu, cocker Spaniel, Chow chow, mini Schnauzer and so on.
Congenital kidney disease is more common in cats, the most common clinical cat polycystic kidney, common breeds such as Scottish fold cat, Persian cat, British shorthair cat and American shorthair cat.
It is recommended to screen for Cys-C congenital kidney disease during childhood physical examination, as well as early detection of early kidney injury, and intervention and treatment for sensitive multiple varieties.
2. Animal young adult period annual physical examination
Annual physical examination is always in a very awkward state, the majority of "parents" on the physical examination of children is also very complex: may jump before the physical examination, eat normally; After the physical examination found some bits and pieces of small problems, this is not money to buy uncomfortable?
In fact, pets do not communicate in language, so when there is a disease is often not easy to be found, in addition to the owner's usual serious and careful observation and care, more important is to give the child a professional physical examination every year. Everyone is well aware of the benefits and importance of annual physical examination, routine annual physical examination can detect some chronic or early developing diseases; Experienced clinicians can learn a lot about pet habits from pet owners, and popularize the correct pet raising methods to assist owners to improve their pets' problems. At the same time, the laboratory data obtained from the annual physical examination can establish a health reference index for the pet. When a pet is sick, the doctor can make a quick and accurate diagnosis by comparing the healthy data with the current laboratory data.
The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) recommends that healthy dogs and cats get a general physical examination at least once a year, including a physical exam and laboratory tests.
Young adult animals should pay attention to early screening of kidney injury. Pets have a strong tolerance, and when they have mild kidney damage, they do not show obvious clinical symptoms, which is easily ignored by owners. At this time, early screening of Cys-C renal failure in physical examination is extremely important, and early detection of kidney injury and intervention treatment is one of the most effective ways to improve pet life.
3. Physical examination of elderly animals
After the age of seven, pets enter the elderly stage, with the increase of age, the body function will gradually decline, and the aging rate of animals is much faster than that of humans, and the development rate of diseases is faster than that of young pets. For pets entering the elderly stage, it is recommended to have a routine physical examination every 6 months. In addition to routine physical examination, more attention should be paid to the internal organs and endocrine problems of elderly pets.
Studies have shown that 15.6% of middle-aged and elderly (older than 5 years) cats die of kidney disease, while the incidence of chronic kidney disease in older cats (older than 5 years) can be as high as 30%, and the incidence of chronic kidney disease in dogs is 5.8%.
Due to the powerful metabolic capacity of the kidney, when the kidney is injured in the early stage, the kidney maintains the basic operation of the body through metabolic compensation function, which means that the animal may not show obvious clinical symptoms in the early stage of kidney injury. At the same time, because the sensitivity of creatinine urea nitrogen is not high, its value does not increase in the early stage of kidney injury. This often leads to kidney damage being found in stage three or even stage four, which greatly increases the difficulty of treatment.
Cystatin C screening in elderly pets can detect early kidney injury. The intervention and treatment of early kidney injury can effectively prolong the life of pets and improve the quality of life of pets.
