Hemogram-Derived Inflammatory Markers in Cats with Chronic Kidney Disease

Chronic kidney disease is a progressive disease affecting middle-aged and older cats. Recent research has linked chronic inflammatory processes to disease progression. Hemogram-derived inflammatory markers have been studied in many pathological conditions; however, their diagnostic value in feline chronic kidney disease is unknown. The aim of the present study was to investigate selected hemogram-derived inflammatory markers in cats at different clinical stages of chronic kidney disease. The results showed that the values of all the studied inflammatory markers were greater in cats with advanced chronic kidney disease than in healthy cats and in cats with early disease. These findings indicate that cats with advanced chronic kidney disease are in a state of chronic systemic inflammation, which is detectable by simple hematological testing. However, the prognostic value of hemogram-derived inflammatory markers should be assessed in further studies. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is characterized by chronic inflammation, which mediates the progressive replacement of functional nephrons by fibrotic tissue. Hemogram-derived inflammatory markers are known to serve as markers of pathological conditions; however, their diagnostic value in feline CKD is still unknown. The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate selected hemogram-derived inflammatory markers (neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and the systemic immune-inflammatory index (SII)) in cats at different clinical stages of CKD. Eighty-eight client-owned cats with CKD and thirty-two healthy control cats were included. Cats with CKD were divided into two groups: early CKD (IRIS stage 1 and 2; 62 cats) and progressed CKD (IRIS stage 3 and 4; 26 cats). The values of inflammatory markers were compared between the two CKD groups and the control group. All investigated hemogram-derived inflammatory markers were significantly (p < 0.05) greater in cats with advanced CKD than in those in the other two groups. Additionally, we demonstrated a statistically significant weak to moderate correlation between serum urea, creatinine, selected hematologic and urinary parameters, and the investigated inflammatory markers in cats with CKD. Chronic inflammation can be easily and inexpensively assessed with hemogram-derived markers.