CHANGES IN RENAL FNCTION IN CATS FOLLOWING TREAMENT OF HYPERTHYROIDISM USING131I

Changes in renal fnction of twenty-two cats treated for hyperthyrodism using radioiodine were evaluated. Serum thyroxine (T₄), serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and urine specificgravity were measured before treatment and 6 and 30 days after treatment. Twenty-two cats had pretreatment and 21 cats had 6 day posttreatment measurement of glomercular filtration rate (GFR) using nuclear medicine imaging techniques. there were significant declines in serum T₄ at 6 days following treatment, but the changes in GFR, serum creatinine and BUN were not significant. At 30 days following treatment, there were significant increases in BUN and serum creatinine and further significant declines in serum T₄. Nine cats were in renal failure prior to treatment and 13 cats were in renal failure 30 days following treatment. Renal failure was defined as BUN greater than 30 mg/dl and/or serum creatinine greater than 1.8 mg/dl with concurrent urine specific gravity less than 1.035. these 13 cats included eight of 9 cats in renal failure prior to treatment on 9 of these 13 cats indicated that all remained in renal failure. Based on receiver operating curve analysis of pretreatment glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in predicting posttreatment renal failure, a value of 2.25 ml/kg/min as a point of maximum sensitivity (100%) and spefificity (78%) was derived, Fifteen of 22 cats had pretratmentGFR measurements of less than 2.25 ml/kg/min. these 15 cats included all 9 cats in renal failure and 65 cats with normal renal clinicopathologic values prior to treatment. at 30 days following treatment, 13 of these 15 cats were in renal failure. The 2 cats not in renal failure had persistently increased serum T₄ values. seven of 22 cats had pretreatment GFR measurements greater than 225 ml/kg/min. None of these 7 cats was in renal failure at 30 days following treatment, all cats having normal BUN, serum creatinine, and urine specific gravity values. It was concluded that significant declines in renal function occur after treatment of hyperthyroidism and this decline is clinically important in cats with renal disease. Pretreatment measurement of GFR is valuable in detecting subclinical renal disease and in predicting which cats may have clinically important declines in renal function following treatment.