Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Ascites linked to worse survival in dogs with chronic hepatitis
By Raffan, E et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2009·Department of Veterinary Medicine, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Ascites is a negative prognostic indicator in chronic hepatitis in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 34 dogs with chronic hepatitis (a liver disease) was studied to see how ascites (fluid buildup in the abdomen) affected their survival. It was found that dogs with ascites had a much shorter survival time, living only about 0.4 months after diagnosis, compared to 24.3 months for those without ascites. This suggests that if your dog has chronic hepatitis and develops ascites, it may indicate a more serious condition. Treatment options like diet changes and medications such as spironolactone were noted to differ between the two groups, but overall, ascites is a concerning sign for prognosis.
People also search for: dog chronic hepatitis ascites prognosis · dog liver disease treatment options · why is my dog’s belly swollen
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Chronic hepatitis (CH) in dogs is common but little is known about factors associated with survival. Ascites is a well-recognized negative prognostic indicator in humans. HYPOTHESIS: Ascites is a negative prognostic indicator in CH in dogs. ANIMALS: Thirty-four dogs with histologically confirmed CH presented to 1 institution between 1996 and 2005. METHODS: Retrospective observational study. CH was diagnosed by histopathology of liver tissue according to the WSAVA criteria. Ascites was diagnosed by abdominal ultrasound. The association of ascites with survival from diagnosis or onset of owner-reported clinical signs until death from any cause or from liver disease was analyzed. Ascitic and nonascitic groups were further analyzed for differences in treatment and sex. RESULTS: Fourteen of 34 dogs had ascites. Survival from diagnosis to death from liver disease was 0.4 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.2-0.6) for ascitic dogs and 24.3 months (CI 11.4-37.1) for nonascitic dogs (P < .001), and from onset of signs to death from liver disease was 2.0 months (CI 0.0-5.6) for ascitic dogs and 33.0 months (CI 8.6-57.4) for nonascitic dogs (P= .0020). Diet and spironolactone use differed between groups. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Ascites is a significant negative prognostic indicator in dogs with CH. Veterinarians and owners can use this information to aid clinical decision making in affected dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19175722/