Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
C-reactive protein levels in dogs with atopic dermatitis on allergen
By Favrot, C et al.·Published in Schweizer Archiv fur Tierheilkunde·2021·Clinic for Small Animal Internal Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Evaluation of Plasma C-Reactive Protein as a Biomarker in Dogs with Atopic -Dermatitis Receiving Allergen-Specific Immunotherapy: A Pilot Study.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of nine dogs with atopic dermatitis (a skin allergy) received allergen-specific immunotherapy for one year to see if a blood test measuring C-reactive protein (CRP) could help track their condition. The dogs' skin lesions were evaluated regularly, but the study found that CRP levels did not change significantly with the severity of their skin issues. This means that CRP is not a helpful marker for monitoring treatment progress in dogs with atopic dermatitis. The dogs continued their treatment, but the results suggest that other methods should be used to assess their skin condition.
People also search for: dog skin allergy treatment · atopic dermatitis in dogs · CRP levels in dogs with skin problems
Abstract
In this pilot study, we wished to determine if C-reactive protein (CRP) levels could be a useful severity or treatment biomarker for canine atopic dermatitis (AD). Nine atopic dogs received allergen immunotherapy for 1 year. Blood was collected before and at four re-evaluation visits. At each time point, the skin lesions were graded with the Canine Atopic Dermatitis Extent and Severity Index (CADESI) 4, and the plasma CRP levels were measured by Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). We found a significant yet minimal correlation between the CRP levels and the CADESI4 scores. The CRP levels were not significantly different between dogs with AD of increasing severity. Finally, there was no correlation between the percentage change in CADESI4 and CRP values during immunotherapy. In conclusion, the lack of significant difference in CRP levels between dogs of increasing AD severity and lack of correlation between percentage changes in skin lesion and CRP values suggest that this protein would not be a clinically-useful biomarker in atopic dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33528368/