Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Adrenal and inflammation tests in critically ill dogs and survival
By Csöndes, Judit et al.·Published in Acta veterinaria Hungarica·2017·1 Department of Clinical Pathology and Oncology·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Assessment of adrenocortical reserve capacity and inflammatory parameters in critically ill dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of critically ill dogs were evaluated for their stress hormone levels and inflammation to see how these factors affected their chances of recovery. The study found that dogs showing signs of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) had higher cortisol levels, which indicated a more severe stress response and a lower chance of survival. Additionally, higher scores on a health assessment scale were linked to worse outcomes. Unfortunately, the findings suggest that elevated cortisol levels in these dogs are associated with a poorer prognosis.
People also search for: dog high cortisol levels · SIRS in dogs symptoms · critically ill dog treatment · dog inflammation and survival · dog stress hormone effects
Abstract
Inflammatory markers and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) stimulation test results may help us recognise critically ill dogs with poor disease outcome. Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) criteria, the fast version of the Acute Patient Physiologic and Laboratory Evaluation Score (APPLE), complete blood count, albumin and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, baseline and stimulated cortisol levels and Δcortisol value were recorded in 50 client-owned dogs admitted to the Small Animal Hospital of the University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest with various inflammatory or neoplastic conditions. Increasing APPLEscore was associated with a decreasing chance of survival (P = 0.0420). The Δcortisol value was significantly higher in SIRS dogs than in non-SIRS dogs (mean ± SD Δcortisol: 342.5 ± 273.96; mean ± SD Δcortisol: 175.3 ± 150.35; P = 0.0443). Elevated baseline or stimulated cortisol levels were associated with a higher chance of non-survival (P = 0.0135 and P = 0.0311, respectively). These data indicate that pathologically higher baseline and stimulated cortisol levels represent an exaggerated stress response in critically ill dogs, which is negatively associated with survival.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29256282/