Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How accurate is canine atopic dermatitis diagnosis in insured Swedish
By Emanuelson Ulf et al.·Published in Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica·2006·View original on DOAJ →
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Original publication title: Canine atopic dermatitis: validation of recorded diagnosis against practice records in 335 insured Swedish dogs
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 335 insured dogs in Sweden were diagnosed with allergic skin disease, specifically canine atopic dermatitis (CAD), and their medical records were reviewed to confirm these diagnoses. Most of the dogs showed signs of skin allergies, but many records lacked information about dietary trials, which are important for ruling out food allergies. Among a smaller group of dogs that underwent dietary testing, those that responded positively had more gastrointestinal issues. Overall, the study found that the recorded diagnoses were mostly accurate, but it highlighted the need for vets to check for food allergies before confirming CAD.
People also search for: dog skin allergies treatment · canine atopic dermatitis symptoms · food allergies in dogs
Abstract
<p>Abstract</p> <p>A cross-sectional study of insured Swedish dogs with a recorded diagnosis of canine atopic dermatitis (CAD) was performed. In order to validate the correctness of this specific diagnosis in the insurance database, medical records were requested by mail from the attending veterinarians. All dogs with a reimbursed claim for the disease during 2002 were included in the original study sample (n = 373). Medical records were available for 335 individuals (response rate: 89.8%). By scrutinizing the submitted records it was determined that all dogs had been treated for dermatologic disease, and that 327 (97.6%) could be considered to have some allergic skin disease. However, as information regarding dietary trial testing was missing in many dogs the number that were truly atopic could not be determined. The clinical presentation and nature of test diet for dogs with or without response to dietary trial testing was compared for a subset of 109 individuals that had undergone such testing. The only significant difference between these two groups was that the proportion of dogs with reported gastrointestinal signs was higher in the group that subsequently responded to a diet trial. In conclusion, the agreement between the recorded diagnosis in the insurance database and the clinical manifestations recorded in the submitted medical records was considered acceptable. The concern was raised that many attending veterinarians did not exclude cutaneous adverse food reactions before making the diagnosis of CAD.</p>
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Search related cases →Original publication on DOAJ: https://doi.org/10.1186/1751-0147-48-8