Correlation between serum creatine kinase activities and anorexia in cats

There are no available biochemical analyses that will reliably identify malnourished cats or enable monitoring them during supportive alimentation. Studies in people indicate that creatine kinase (CK) activity is high in malnourished patients and may decrease in response to nutritional intervention. The purpose of this study was to determine the value of quantifying serum CK activities in anorectic cats and to assess the usefulness of this test in monitoring nutritional support in these patients. Serum CK activity was evaluated in nonanorectic cats (Group 1, n = 25), and in hospitalized, anorectic cats that received nutritional support through a nasoesophageal tube (Group 2, n = 25). Anorectic cats had a significantly higher serum CK activity (median = 2,529 U/L, range 88 to 153,000 U/L) than the control group (median = 175 U/L, range 81 to 363 U/L, P < .001). There were significant positive correlations between serum CK and both aspartate transaminase (AST) (P < .05; r= .59) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) (P < .05; r= .41) activities. Serum CK activity was significantly lower in anorectic cats after 48 hours of nutritional support than at time 0 (P < .001) and eventually returned to normal with continued support. Serum CK activity may serve as a useful marker in assessing and monitoring nutritional status in cats.