Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Blood clotting and inflammation in West Highland terriers with lung
By Roels, Elodie et al.·Published in BMC veterinary research·2019·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Haemostatic, fibrinolytic and inflammatory profiles in West Highland white terriers with canine idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and controls.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of older West Highland White Terriers (WHWTs) with a serious lung disease called canine idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (CIPF) was studied to see if they had different blood clotting and inflammation levels compared to healthy dogs. The researchers found that while the WHWTs with CIPF had slightly longer blood clotting times, their overall blood profiles were similar to healthy dogs. Interestingly, many of the WHWTs had higher platelet counts and fibrinogen levels, which might make them more prone to this lung disease. However, the study did not find clear evidence of significant changes in their blood that could explain the disease.
People also search for: West Highland White Terrier lung disease · canine idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis symptoms · dog blood clotting issues
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Canine idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (CIPF) is a progressive interstitial lung disease mainly affecting old West Highland white terriers (WHWTs). The aetiology of CIPF is currently unknown and pathogenesis poorly understood. A genetic basis is strongly suspected based on the breed predisposition. CIPF shares clinical and pathological features with human IPF. In human IPF, coagulation disorders favouring a local and systemic pro-thrombotic state have been demonstrated in association with disease severity and outcome. The aim of this study was to compare the systemic haemostatic, fibrinolytic and inflammatory profiles of WHWTs affected with CIPF with breed-matched controls (CTRLs). Additionally, data collected in both groups were interpreted with regard to the reference intervals (when available) to assess possible pro-thrombotic features of the WHWT breed that may be related to CIPF predisposition. A total of 14 WHWTs affected with CIPF and 20 CTRLs were included. RESULTS: WHWTs affected with CIPF had prolonged activated partial thromboplastine time in comparison with CTRLs (12.2 ± 0.9 s vs. 11.5 ± 0.7 s, P = 0.028), whereas results obtained in both groups were all within reference ranges. There was no significant difference between groups for the other factors assessed including plasmatic concentrations of fibrinogen, D-dimers concentration, antithrombin III activity, protein S and protein C activities, anti-factor Xa activity, activated protein C ratio, serum C-reactive protein concentration, and rotational thromboelastometry indices. Platelet count and plasmatic fibrinogen concentration were found to be above the upper limit of the reference range in almost half of the WHWTs included, independently of the disease status. CONCLUSIONS: Results of this study provide no clear evidence of an altered systemic haemostatic, fibrinolytic or inflammatory state in WHWTs affected with CIPF compared with CTRLs. The higher platelet counts and fibrinogen concentrations found in the WHWT breed may serve as predisposing factors for CIPF or simply reflect biological variation in this breed.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31664993/