Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Low blood zinc linked to worse gut disease and survival in dogs
By Sakai, Kosei et al.·Published in The Journal of veterinary medical science·2020·Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Japan·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Decreased serum zinc concentration in dogs with lymphocytic-plasmacytic enteritis, and its associations with disease severity and prognosis.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 35 dogs with lymphocytic-plasmacytic enteritis (a type of inflammatory bowel disease) had their blood tested for zinc levels. It was found that more than half of them had low zinc levels, which were linked to more severe symptoms and a shorter survival time. This means that if a dog with this condition has low zinc, it could indicate a worse prognosis. Monitoring zinc levels in these dogs could help veterinarians assess the severity of the disease and guide treatment options.
People also search for: dog inflammatory bowel disease symptoms · low zinc in dogs treatment · dog enteritis prognosis
Abstract
Human patients with inflammatory bowel disease may have poor prognosis with hypozincemia. However, there are limited data on zinc concentrations in the blood of dogs with lymphocytic-plasmacytic enteritis (LPE). The purpose of this study was to investigate the serum zinc concentration in dogs with LPE and its influence on disease severity and prognosis. Thirty-five dogs with LPE were recruited. Serum zinc concentration was measured using atomic absorption spectrometry. Hypozincemia was observed in 18/35 (51%) dogs with LPE. Serum zinc concentration was inversely correlated with histological and clinical severities. Overall survivals were significantly shorter in dogs with hypozincemia than in those without it. These findings suggest that serum zinc concentration is a useful biomarker for LPE severity and prognosis in dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32295995/