Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Aplastic pancytopenia in dogs causes and outcomes 1996-2003
By Brazzell, Jennifer L & Weiss, Douglas J·Published in Veterinary clinical pathology·2006·Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: A retrospective study of aplastic pancytopenia in the dog: 9 cases (1996-2003).
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 3-year-old dog was diagnosed with aplastic pancytopenia, a serious condition where the bone marrow doesn't produce enough blood cells, leading to low red and white blood cell counts and low platelets. In this case, the exact cause was unclear, but it was suspected that a reaction to a medication might have played a role. Unfortunately, most of the dogs in the study did not survive long after diagnosis, with six out of nine either dying or being euthanized within three weeks. However, two dogs did recover completely, showing that there is a possibility for some dogs to bounce back from this condition.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Aplastic pancytopenia is defined by the presence of pancytopenia in blood and a hypocellular bone marrow with the hematopoietic space replaced by adipose tissue. Several causes of acquired aplastic pancytopenia are known; however, in some cases, an underlying cause is never determined. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this retrospective study was to identify the incidence, potential causes, and outcome of aplastic pancytopenia in dogs. METHODS: Bone marrow cytologic and core biopsy reports were reviewed to identify dogs diagnosed with aplastic pancytopenia between July 1, 1996 and June 30, 2003. Four-hundred eighty-six bone marrow reports that included aspirate and core biopsy evaluations were reviewed. Signalment, treatment given, previous and current disease conditions, clinical signs of disease, clinical laboratory data, therapy, response to therapy, and survival time were recorded. RESULTS: Nine dogs (1.85% of bone marrow samples reviewed) met the criteria for inclusion. Two dogs (22%) had associated diseases that included monocytic ehrlichiosis and Sertoli cell tumor. In 7 dogs (78%), the cause of aplastic pancytopenia could not be definitively determined, although an idiosyncratic drug reaction to griseofulvin was suspected in 1 of the dogs. The median age of dogs diagnosed with aplastic pancytopenia was 3.2 years, and apparent breed or sex predilection was not identified. Median HCT, total WBC count, and platelet count on the day of presentation were 21.8%, 1.0 x 10(3)/microL, and 2.0 x 10(3)/microL, respectively. Six of 9 dogs diagnosed with aplastic pancytopenia died or were euthanized within 21 days. Two dogs had complete hematologic recovery. One dog was living 3 years after diagnosis, but hematologic recovery was never documented. CONCLUSIONS: Aplastic pancytopenia is diagnosed infrequently and idiopathic aplastic pancytopenia may account for up to 67% or more of canine cases. Although the prognosis is guarded, some dogs with aplastic pancytopenia recover.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17123247/