Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Low vitamin D levels in dogs with spirocercosis esophageal nodules
By Rosa, C T et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2013·Department of Companion Animal Clinical Studies·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Hypovitaminosis D in dogs with spirocercosis.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs diagnosed with spirocercosis, a condition that can cause esophageal nodules, were found to have low levels of vitamin D, especially those with cancerous changes. Researchers compared vitamin D levels in dogs with non-cancerous and cancerous spirocercosis and healthy dogs, discovering that the cancerous group had significantly lower vitamin D levels. While all groups had similar appetite scores, the findings suggest that low vitamin D might be linked to the risk of cancer in these dogs. More research is needed to see if vitamin D treatment could help dogs with spirocercosis.
People also search for: dog spirocercosis treatment · low vitamin D in dogs · dog cancer symptoms · spirocercosis esophageal nodules
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Spirocercosis in dogs is characterized by esophageal nodules that can undergo neoplastic transformation. Hypovitaminosis D has been associated with neoplasia formation. We hypothesized hypovitaminosis D in neoplastic spirocercosis and that it could be a risk factor for neoplastic transformation. OBJECTIVE: To measure and compare vitamin D status, assessed by serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations in non-neoplastic (n = 25) and neoplastic (n = 26) spirocercosis client-owned dogs and healthy dogs (n = 24). ANIMALS: Twenty-five non-neoplastic dogs, 26 neoplastic dogs, and 24 healthy dogs. METHODS: Fifty-one dogs were randomly selected from 119 dogs diagnosed with spirocercosis presenting to our hospital, and further divided into non-neoplastic or neoplastic groups. Exclusion criteria included dogs less than 1 year old, with concurrent diseases, received corticosteroids, or treated prophylactically for spirocercosis. Serum 25(OH)D concentration was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. Spirocercosis dogs' appetites were graded and compared. RESULTS: Serum 25(OH)D concentrations were significantly different among all groups (P < .001). 25-Hydroxyvitamin D concentrations were significantly lower in neoplastic group (median 30.7 nmol/L [range 14.7-62.2]) compared to non-neoplastic (median 52.7 nmol/L [range 19.1-129.7, P < .05]) and healthy groups (median 74.6 nmol/L [range 37.4-130.5, P < .005]). 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations were significantly lower in non-neoplastic spirocercosis dogs compared to healthy ones (P < .05). Neoplastic and non-neoplastic spirocercosis dogs had similar appetite scores (P = 1.0). 25-Hydroxyvitamin D concentrations were not significantly different between dogs with normal (P = .087) and abnormal (P = .125) appetites within neoplastic and non-neoplastic spirocercosis groups. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Further studies are warranted to determine potential use of vitamin D treatment in spirocercosis and explore role of hypovitaminosis D in pathogenesis of malignant transformation.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23952621/