The International Renal Interest Society (IRIS) -- led by a board of 15 world-renowned, independent veterinarians from 10 different countries — recently added SDMA testing to their 2015 IRIS [Chronic Kidney Disease] CKD Staging Guidelines.
As it says on the IRIS website, “SDMA concentrations in blood (plasma or serum) may be a more sensitive biomarker of renal function than blood creatinine concentrations. A persistent increase in SDMA above 14 µg/dl suggests reduced [kidney] function.”
In fact, IRIS recently changed its guidelines to suggest that SDMA testing be used in conjunction with standard methods to stage the disease and determine the best course of treatment. Here’s a quick breakdown:
- IRIS classifies kidney disease by stage. Stage 1 kidney disease is early, and stage 4 is late.
- It has always been difficult to diagnose stage 1, but now we can (which is of course the best time to catch it). Creatinine levels are not elevated at this stage (by definition)3. However, when SDMA levels are combined with creatinine values that otherwise would have been thought normal, IRIS says it “May be a reason to consider…IRIS CKD Stage 1.”
- SDMA combined with standard methods helps gauge severity of later stages too. In fact, combined with other methods, new IRIS guidelines suggest an elevated SDMA marker in a pet with later stage disease could imply that severity of the disease has been underestimated. For example, this means that you and your veterinarian may choose to treat your pet who’d previously been considered a stage 2 as a stage 3, getting them the supportive care they need earlier and the best chance they have for a long, happy life.
If your pet has kidney disease, SDMA is the best way to understand how advanced the disease is and to monitor your pet’s kidney health so you can help prevent it from getting worse.
Know how advanced the disease is, and help ensure your pet gets the best treatment plan possible:
Make sure to ask your veterinarian to run an IDEXX SDMA test.