Abstract
Objectives: The main objective of this study was to assess the utility of urine dipstick strips for the detection of feline proteinuria when used in combination with the urine specific gravity (USG), with the urine protein-to-creatinine ratio (UPC) as the gold standard method.
Methods: Clinical records were evaluated retrospectively for comprehensive urine analysis, which had been obtained from cats presented to a referral hospital. Diagnostic agreement and test accuracy were calculated for the dipstick test alone and in combination with the USG; using different cut off values for proteinuria. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves were also calculated.
Results: A total of 121 urine samples were included. The diagnostic agreement between dipstick and UPC was poor. A dipstick result of equal or greater than Trace (0.1 - 0.3 g/l) had a sensitivity of 81% and a specificity of 31% to detect proteinuria. Grouping the samples by USG did not increase the dipstick’s agreement with the UPC and only resulted in a slight improvement in the accuracy of detecting proteinuria.
Clinical significance: The dipstick test was not accurate for detecting proteinuria when combined with the USG in cats. Clinicians should not rely on this test and, regardless of the urine concentration, other appropriate quantitative methods such as UPC should always be performed to detect proteinuria in cats.
Methods: Clinical records were evaluated retrospectively for comprehensive urine analysis, which had been obtained from cats presented to a referral hospital. Diagnostic agreement and test accuracy were calculated for the dipstick test alone and in combination with the USG; using different cut off values for proteinuria. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves were also calculated.
Results: A total of 121 urine samples were included. The diagnostic agreement between dipstick and UPC was poor. A dipstick result of equal or greater than Trace (0.1 - 0.3 g/l) had a sensitivity of 81% and a specificity of 31% to detect proteinuria. Grouping the samples by USG did not increase the dipstick’s agreement with the UPC and only resulted in a slight improvement in the accuracy of detecting proteinuria.
Clinical significance: The dipstick test was not accurate for detecting proteinuria when combined with the USG in cats. Clinicians should not rely on this test and, regardless of the urine concentration, other appropriate quantitative methods such as UPC should always be performed to detect proteinuria in cats.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Journal of Small Animal Practice |
| Early online date | 21 Jul 2020 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 21 Jul 2020 |