Update on the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of calcium regulation

摘要

Specialized assays are available for use in the diagnosis of disorders of calcium regulation in companion animals. Intact parathyroid hormone and ionized calcium assays are used to further define an abnormality of total calcium and then identify whether or not the calcium disorder is caused by inappropriate parathyroid gland function. An assay of parathyroid hormone-related protein may help to better document the presence of humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy in dogs and cats. Dietary excess or deficiency of vitamin D may be identified by measurement of 25-hydroxyvitamin D. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the diagnostic utility of these assays and offer guidelines for interpretation of results. Also included are data base surveys examining breed predisposition for selected disorders of calcium metabolism in dogs.