Background
Iatrogenic hypothyroidism might worsen the prognosis of cats with azotemic CKD after thyroidectomy. Varying thyroxine concentrations influence utility of creatinine in assessing renal function. Symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) has limited studies in cats with changing thyroid status.
Objectives
Thyroid status is stable 6 months post‐thyroidectomy. Symmetric dimethylarginine and creatinine are linearly associated without influence from total thyroxine concentration (tT4).
Animals
Electronic records of 2 first opinion practices were searched using the term “thyroidectomy” to include 81 client‐owned cats that had undergone bilateral thyroidectomy.
Methods
Retrospective cross‐sectional study assessing thyroid hormone concentrations of 68 cats within 6 months of surgery. A longitudinal study of thyroid status in 23 cats with >18 months follow‐up post‐thyroidectomy. A generalized estimating equation assessed the associations of bodyweight, tT4 and creatinine concentrations on SDMA concentration.
Results
Sixty‐eight cats had follow‐up within 6 months. Fifteen cats (22%) had persistent, or recurrent, hyperthyroidism and 33 cats (49%) were hypothyroid. Twenty‐three of the euthyroid/hypothyroid cats had long‐term follow‐up (595‐1955 days); 4 cats (17%) remained hypothyroid, 19 cats (83%) were euthyroid (often transiently), and 9 of 23 cats (44%) developed recurrent hyperthyroidism. Symmetric dimethylarginine and creatinine were linearly associated, but hyperthyroid cats had higher SDMA concentrations, relative to creatinine (P = .003).
Conclusions and Clinical Importance
Cats have changes in thyroid function for years after bilateral thyroidectomy, with a high incidence of recurrent hyperthyroidism. Both SDMA and creatinine are affected by thyroxine concentrations, and the effect is greater in hyperthyroid cats.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.