Evaluations of Biochemical Panel Flashcards

1
Q

Indicators of damage

A

Leakage enzymes- don’t correlate with severity or size of lesion
ALKP, ALT, AST, CK

Pancreatic enzymes
Lipase, PLI

Thyroid
TgAA

Renal
Casts

Cardiac
Troponin I

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2
Q

indicators of dysfunction

A

Hepatic function
Bile acid, Ammonia
Albumin, Glucose, bilirubin

Pancreatic function
TLI

Thyroid
T4, TSH

Renal
Creatinine, USG, proteinuria

Cardiac
NT-proBNP

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3
Q

which liver enzymes are cytosolic (within cytoplasm) of hepatocytes

A

ALT, AST, GDH

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4
Q

Which liver enzymes are in the biliary lining cells

A

GD, AST
Located in mitochondira- when they leak suggests a more dramatic degree of injury

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5
Q

Other reasons fro enzyme induction apart from damage

A

Pathology

Drugs or endogenous compounds
Glucocorticoids
Barbiturates

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6
Q

ALT

A

Cytosolic enzyme in hepatocytes
Almost completely liver specific in dogs and cats (not large animals)
Earlier and higher levels following hepatic damage than AST
Dog T½ = 40-60 hours
Cat T½ = 3.5 hours
Based on T½ in dog, repeat measure after 2-3 days to determine if insult passed, ongoing or worsening
Also means that its less worrying to see change in dogs but in cats is concerning even if it’s a small change

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7
Q

ALKP/ ALP

A

Membrane location (canalicular)
Induced by impaired biliary flow and medications
Not liver specific – iso-enzymes:
Bone (growth), Intestinal
Canine steroid induced
Hepatic enzyme
Dog T½ = 60-70 hrs
Cat T½ = 6 hours
Intestinal enzyme T½ <10mins
Very susceptible to non-hepatic disease and “secondary hepatic effects” including benign nodular hyperplasia and “old-dog”

Serum GGT more biliary specific

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8
Q

Hepatic enzyme specificity

A

Called “hepatic” enzymes and sensitive to hepatic impacts but recognise often not primary hepatopathy
Enzyme induction/toxin in other disease:
Stress, Glucocorticoids, e.g. pyometra
Liver central to a lot of metabolic processing:
Diabetes, fatty liver, hyperlipaemia
Portal circulation:
Hepatocyte impact of pancreatic and GI pathology
Blood supply and oxygenation:
Cardiac congestion, anaemia

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9
Q

AST

A

found in the liver cells, but is also present in other organs such as the heart and skeletal muscle.
Elevated levels of AST in the blood may indicate liver damage, but can also be a sign of heart or muscle damage.

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10
Q

GGT

A

enzyme found primarily in the liver and bile ducts. Elevated levels of GGT in the blood can be a sign of liver disease
more billary specific than other enzymes

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11
Q

Billiruben

A

Bilirubin is a waste product formed when red blood cells break down.
Elevated levels of bilirubin in the blood can be a sign of liver disease, such as hepatitis or cirrhosis, or a blockage in the bile ducts.

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12
Q

Albumin

A

protein produced by the liver.
Low levels of albumin in the blood can be a sign of liver disease, as the liver may not be producing enough albumin.

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13
Q

What to do about elevated liver enzymes

A

Rule out therapies (including topical eye, ear and skin)
Rule out systemic, pancreatic, GI disease
Multiple enzyme abnormalities, very high results +/- bilirubin – can’t ignore

Bile acids including post-prandial (not horses) for functional assessment
May have to repeat if decreasing results
Further questioning for history pointing a more specific direction
E.g., ACTH Stimulation +/- 17hydroxyprogesterone
Agree to monitor: act on further increases or appearance of clinical signs
Remember analytical variation when assessing change

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14
Q

significance of elevated urea and normal creatinine

A

Suggests pre-renal effects such as:
Reduced renal perfusion (dehydration)
Post-prandial
Unusually high urea with normal creatinine → GI bleeding

FOCUS ON CREATININE AS MEASURE OF RENAL FUNCTION

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15
Q

significance of USG

A

Assess alongside hydration
USG <1.030 Dog or <1.035 Cat with azotaemia suggests “inappropriately dilute”
Hyposthenuria (<~1.008) only possible if kidneys functional
Excessive fluid intake (primary polydipsia)
ADH production or action
Rehydrate if necessary and re-assess
UPCR for renal staging

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16
Q

What is UPCR

A

Urine protein to creatinine ratio
High result indicates kidneys not functioning properly
used to measure the amount of protein in a pet’s urine relative to the amount of creatinine. A high UPCR result in a veterinary patient can indicate kidney disease or other underlying medical conditions that can affect the kidneys. A high UPCR can also be an indication of inflammation in the urinary tract or systemic inflammation.

17
Q

Na:K ratio

A

Check the Na and K results separately
Hypoadrenocorticism (Addison’s) is an important differential in mild illness

Other differentials include:
Pre-analytic (e.g., non-dogs, Akitas, high WBC or Platelet counts)
GI disease
Renal dysfunction
Effusions
Non-specific (Na:K more specific for HypoAC at <22)

low= dehydration, renal disease, diabetic ketoacidosis, HAC
High= overhydration- excessive fluid therapy, heart failure, liver disease, HAC

18
Q

Glucose levels

A

Elevations of due to stress especially in cats
In cats could also be indicator of pre-diabetes:
If persistent or if cat not apparently stressed and
all other investigation normal
consider low carbohydrate diet

Fructosamine will help determine the significance of higher glucose levels (e.g. >10mmol/L)
>400umol/L confirms diabetes

19
Q

HOGS IN YARD acronym for hypercalcaemia

A

H- hyperparathyroidism
O - osteolysis
G – granulomatous disease
S – spurious (albumin?)
I - idopathic
N - neoplasia
Y - young
A – addison’s disease
R – renal disease (total ca, horses)
D – vitamin d toxicity

20
Q

Causes of hypocalcaemia

A

Parathroid dependent:
Primary hypoparathyroidism
spontaneous immune mediated
post-surgical e.g. feline hyperthyroidism

Demand exceeds supply or mobilization:
periparturient tetany (eclampsia)
nutritional deficiency of calcium or vitamin D
e.g. all meat diets, severe GI disease, (sunlight)
pancreatitis with fat necrosis

[PTH and Calcitriol resistance syndromes]

21
Q

Divide and conquer approach

A

Divide the profile into sensible groups of tests:

Hydration (TP, Albumin)
Renal related (Urea, creatinine, phos, Ca, Urinalysis)
Hepatic related (Enzymes, bile acids, urea, albumin, glucose)
Muscle related (CK, AST, myoglobinuria)
Electrolytes (Na, Cl, K, (hydration, renal, GI, endocrine))
Minerals (Ca, Phos, Mg)
Pancreatic (ALKP, ALT, Lipase, glucose, calcium)
Nutrition (albumin, glucose, (bilirubin))

22
Q

How does interpretation of ALT vary by species

A

Dog T½ = 40-60 hours, Cat T½ = 3.5 hours
Mild ALT (and ALKP) elevations more of a concern in cats than dogs

Equidae and ruminants not liver specific
Alternate hepatocellaular enzymes (GLDH, SDH)

23
Q

How does interpretation of urea vary by species

A

GI tract and other clearance mechanisms make unhelpful in equidae and ruminants as indicator of renal function
Uric acid in uricotelic species

24
Q

How does interpretation of bilirubin vary by species

A

Elevated in anorexic horses and cattle with normal hepatic function

25
Q

How does interpretation of calcium vary by species

A

Horses excrete excess calcium through kidney – renal falure could give rise to genuine hypercalcaemia
Egg laying species will generate high tCa (increase in protein bound fraction – ovalbumin) but normal iCa

26
Q

How does interpretation of acute phase proteins vary by species

A

Fibrinogen, SAA (equine) and haptoglobin (cattle) more likely in profiles as inflammatory markers (less reliance on Neutrophils)
Preferred APP varies by species - CRP (dog), AGP (cat)

27
Q

How does interpretation of electrolytes vary by species

A

Low Na, Cl, elevated K common in large animal diarrhoea, less so in dogs and cats