Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Heartworm treatment effects on heart and inflammation markers in dogs
By Yoon, Won-Kyoung et al.·Published in Parasites & vectors·2017·College of Veterinary Medicine, South Korea·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Evaluation of cardiopulmonary and inflammatory markers in dogs with heartworm infection during treatment with the 2014 American Heartworm Society recommended treatment protocol.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 12 dogs with heartworm infection were treated with a medication called melarsomine, which is the standard treatment for this serious disease. During their treatment, the dogs had their blood tested at various points to check levels of certain markers that indicate inflammation and heart health. The results showed that these markers changed significantly after treatment, depending on how severe the heartworm infection was. Monitoring these markers could help veterinarians predict how well the dogs will respond to treatment and if they might face any complications.
People also search for: dog heartworm treatment melarsomine · heartworm infection symptoms in dogs · monitoring heart health in dogs with heartworm
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Heartworm disease in dogs is a life-threatening parasitic disease. Although adulticide treatment with melarsomine has been proven to be the most effective, complications associated with adulticide treatment are major concerns for clinicians. METHODS: This study evaluated the change in levels of D-dimer, interleukin-6, C-reactive protein and cardiac troponin I in 12 dogs with different severities of heartworm infection treated by the American Heartworm Society (AHS) recommended protocol during the treatment period. The serum levels of several markers were measured on the day of diagnosis (T-60), before the initiation of melarsomine therapy (T0), 1 day after the first injection (T1), 1 week after the first injection (T7), 1 month after the first injection (T30), 1 day after the second injection (T31), 1 day after the third injection (T32), 1 week after the third injection (T39), 1 month after the third injection (T62), 2 months after the third injection (T92), 3 months after the third injection (T122), and 6 months after the third injection (T182). RESULTS: The serum levels of these markers were significantly different at the test time point after melarsomine treatment and also differed significantly according to the stage of heartworm disease in the dogs. CONCLUSION: This study found that monitoring of inflammatory and hemostatic markers in dogs with heartworm disease being treated with melarsomine might be beneficial in predicting the clinical outcomes and complications associated with melarsomine treatment.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29143684/