Plasma N‐Terminal Probrain Natriuretic Peptide, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor, and Cardiac Troponin I as Novel Biomarkers of Hypertensive Disease and Target Organ Damage in Cats

摘要

BackgroundIn the absence of ocular target organ damage (ocular-TOD), diagnosis of hypertension is challenging in cats. Biomarkers would provide additional support for the diagnosis of hypertension. HypothesisVascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), N-terminal probrain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), cardiac troponin I (cTnI), and urine protein-to-creatinine ratio (UPC) are predictors of systemic hypertension, will be increased in cats with hypertension with or without ocular-TOD, and will decrease with antihypertensive treatment. MethodsPlasma VEGF, NT-proBNP, and cTnI concentrations and UPC were determined in healthy geriatric cats, normotensive cats with chronic kidney disease (CKD), hypertensive cats with evidence of hypertensive retinopathy (HT-ocular-TOD), and hypertensive cats without hypertensive ocular-TOD (HT-noTOD). Comparisons among groups were performed. Multivariable binary logistic regression models were built to identify independent biomarkers of hypertension and ocular-TOD. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves were drawn to assess clinical use. ResultsCats with HT-ocular-TOD had significantly higher VEGF than all other groups ( P Conclusions and Clinical SignificanceDespite statistical significance and changes with ocular-TOD, antihypertensive treatment, or both, VEGF, NT-proBNP, and cTnI did not function as useful diagnostic tests for hypertension. Persistently increased systolic blood pressure (SBP) measurements in combination with fundoscopy remains the preferred method for diagnosis of feline hypertension.