Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Signs and joint damage in dogs with erosive immune arthritis
By Shaughnessy, Magen L et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2016·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Clinical features and pathological joint changes in dogs with erosive immune-mediated polyarthritis: 13 cases (2004-2012).
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 13 small-breed dogs, averaging about 7 years old, were diagnosed with erosive immune-mediated polyarthritis (IMPA), which caused painful joint damage, particularly in their wrists. These dogs showed high levels of certain white blood cells in their joint fluid, indicating inflammation. To treat their condition, they were given immunosuppressive medications, including leflunomide and prednisone. The treatment aimed to reduce inflammation and manage pain, helping the dogs feel more comfortable.
People also search for: dog wrist pain treatment · small breed dog arthritis · leflunomide for dogs · immune-mediated polyarthritis in dogs
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the clinical features and pathological joint changes in dogs with erosive immune-mediated polyarthritis (IMPA). DESIGN Retrospective case series. ANIMALS 13 dogs with erosive IMPA and 66 dogs with nonerosive IMPA. PROCEDURES The medical record database of a veterinary teaching hospital was reviewed to identify dogs with IMPA that were examined between October 2004 and December 2012. For each IMPA-affected dog, information extracted from the medical record included signalment, diagnostic test results, radiographic findings, and treatments administered. Dogs were classified as having erosive IMPA if review of radiographs revealed the presence of bone lysis in multiple joints, and descriptive data were generated for those dogs. All available direct smears of synovial fluid samples underwent cytologic evaluation. The synovial fluid total nucleated cell count and WBC differential count were estimated and compared between dogs with erosive IMPA and dogs with nonerosive IMPA. RESULTS 13 of 79 (16%) dogs had erosive IMPA. Dogs with erosive IMPA had a mean ± SD age of 7.1 ± 2.4 years and body weight of 8.3 ± 3.4 kg (18.3 ± 7.5 lb). All 13 dogs had erosive lesions in their carpal joints. The estimated median synovial fluid lymphocyte count for dogs with erosive IMPA was significantly greater than that for dogs with nonerosive IMPA. All dogs received immunosuppressive therapy with leflunomide (n = 9), prednisone (3), or prednisone-azathioprine (1). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results indicated erosive IMPA most commonly affected the carpal joints of middle-aged small-breed dogs. Further genetic analyses and analysis of lymphocyte-subsets are warranted for dogs with erosive IMPA.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27823373/