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. 2023 Jun 28;10(7):419. doi: 10.3390/vetsci10070419

Table 2.

Correlation among clinical, laboratory, and histologic findings in cats with CIE. Summarized are the relationships between fecal calprotectin (fCal) concentrations, feline chronic enteropathy activity index (FCEAI) scores, clinicopathologic results (i.e., serum albumin, globulin, and cobalamin concentrations), and the severity of intestinal inflammatory and morphologic histologic lesions in cats with CIE (n = 34).

Parameter Spearman ρ Correlation Coefficient (p-Value)
Correlated with fCal Concentration FCEAI Score
Clinical criteria
FCEAI score 0.21 (0.2546) -
Serum protein concentrations
Serum albumin concentration −0.45 (0.0165) −0.23 (0.2135)
Serum globulin concentration 0.48 (0.0104) 0.01 (0.9773)
Serum functional biomarker
Serum cobalamin concentration −0.40 (0.0335) −0.49 (0.0058)
Histologic criteria
Histologic lesions (composite score) 0.37 (0.0789) 0.09 (0.6777)
     Morphologic criteria 0.30 (0.1540) 0.21 (0.3262)
     Inflammatory criteria 0.23 (0.2949) 0.01 (0.9483)
Duodenum/jejunum (composite score) 0.44 (0.0305) 0.39 (0.0526)
     Morphologic criteria (sum) 0.29 (0.1761) 0.17 (0.4118)
  • -

    Villus stunting

 0.62 (0.0011) 0.19 (0.3611)
  • -

    Epithelial injury

 0.28 (0.1824) 0.40 (0.0486)
  • -

    Crypt distension

 −0.71 (0.0001) 0.01 (0.9798)
  • -

    Lacteal dilation

 0.11 (0.6232) −0.03 (0.8924)
  • -

    Mucosal fibrosis

 0.43 (0.0366) 0.11 (0.5949)
     Inflammatory criteria (sum) 0.35 (0.0913) 0.39 (0.0560)
  • -

    Intraepithelial lymphocytes

 0.22 (0.3141) −0.02 (0.9184)
  • -

    Lamina propria LPC

 0.20 (0.3416) 0.44 (0.0304)
  • -

    Lamina propria eosinophils

 n/a n/a
  • -

    Lamina propria neutrophils

 0.20 (0.3446) 0.19 (0.3713)
  • -

    Lamina propria ΜΦ

 0.23 (0.2874) 0.33 (0.1097)
Ileum (composite score) 0.35 (0.1161) 0.23 (0.2993)
     Morphologic criteria (sum) 0.32 (0.1570) 0.41 (0.0618)
  • -

    Villus stunting

 0.34 (0.1374) 0.14 (0.5359)
  • -

    Epithelial injury

 0.52 (0.0149) 0.42 (0.0527)
  • -

    Crypt distension

 0.37 (0.0983) 0.14 (0.5385)
  • -

    Lacteal dilation

 n/a n/a
  • -

    Mucosal fibrosis

 −0.03 (0.8854) 0.47 (0.0246)
     Inflammatory criteria (sum) 0.27 (0.2445) −0.03 (0.9133)
  • -

    Intraepithelial lymphocytes

 −0.14 (0.5444) −0.23 (0.2978)
  • -

    Lamina propria LPC

 0.32 (0.1541) 0.01 (0.9524)
  • -

    Lamina propria eosinophils

 n/a n/a
  • -

    Lamina propria neutrophils

 0.26 (0.2450) 0.34 (0.1125)
  • -

    Lamina propria ΜΦ

 0.26 (0.2450) 0.34 (0.1125)
Colon (composite score) −0.11 (0.6280) −0.22 (0.3080)
     Morphologic criteria (sum) −0.18 (0.4085) −0.17 (0.4183)
  • -

    Epithelial injury

 0.36 (0.0823) −0.11 (0.6174)
  • -

    Goblet cell loss or hyperplasia

 −0.38 (0.0731) −0.24 (0.2511)
  • -

    Crypt dilation and distortion

 −0.13 (0.5266) −0.14 (0.5002)
  • -

    Mucosal fibrosis and atrophy

 −0.16 (0.4575) 0.09 (0.6746)
     Inflammatory criteria (sum) 0.18 (0.3954) −0.16 (0.4399)
  • -

    Intraepithelial lymphocytes

 0.28 (0.1807) 0.07 (0.7440)
  • -

    Lamina propria LPC

 0.03 (0.9033) −0.18 (0.3793)
  • -

    Lamina propria eosinophils

 n/a n/a
  • -

    Lamina propria neutrophils

 n/a n/a
  • -

    Lamina propria ΜΦ

 0.36 (0.0803) 0.17 (0.3971)

ΜΦ: macrophages; LPC: lymphocytes/plasma cells; n/a: not applicable; blue shaded cells: statistically significant (p < 0.05) only without Bonferroni correction; orange-shaded cells: statistical significance (p < 0.05) remaining after Bonferroni correction (n = 2, 3, 4, or 5); calculated only when duodenum, ileum, and colon were sampled and evaluated.