Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Thyroid hormone changes in dogs with sepsis or SIRS
By Pashmakova, Medora B et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary emergency and critical care (San Antonio, Tex. : 2001)·2014·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Evaluation of serum thyroid hormones in dogs with systemic inflammatory response syndrome or sepsis.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with serious infections, known as systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) or sepsis, were found to have low levels of thyroid hormones in their blood. Out of 22 dogs studied, all with sepsis and most with SIRS showed decreased total thyroxine levels. While some thyroid hormone levels were low, they were still within normal ranges for many dogs. Unfortunately, the severity of their illness, measured by a specific scoring system, was linked to a lower chance of survival, but the thyroid levels themselves did not predict outcomes.
People also search for: dog sepsis symptoms · low thyroid hormone in dogs · dog SIRS treatment · dog survival rate sepsis
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether dogs with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) or sepsis have derangements in serum thyroid hormone concentrations and to evaluate whether such derangements relate to illness severity or outcome. DESIGN: Prospective observational study. Dogs hospitalized with SIRS or sepsis between May and December 2010 were included. Serum thyroid hormone concentrations were measured in all dogs. Data obtained on admission were used to calculate the Acute Patient Physiologic and Laboratory Evaluation (APPLE) scores. SETTING: University teaching hospital. ANIMALS: Twenty-two consecutive client-owned dogs hospitalized with SIRS or sepsis were enrolled; 18 dogs completed the study and 4 dogs were excluded for incomplete data. Forty-nine healthy dogs owned by volunteers were used as controls. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Decreased total thyroxine (TT4) concentrations were documented in all septic and 7/9 dogs with SIRS. Free T4 concentrations were decreased, but were within the reference interval in 12/18 dogs with SIRS or sepsis compared to control dogs (P < 0.001). Dogs with increased APPLE(fast) scores were less likely to survive (P = 0.017). CONCLUSIONS: Dogs with SIRS or sepsis have derangements in measured serum thyroid hormones. No relationships were identified between thyroid hormone concentrations and survival. The APPLE(fast) score was the only variable predictive of poor outcome.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24698053/