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Peer-reviewed veterinary case report

Increased canine pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity (cPLI) and 1,2-o-dilauryl-rac-glycero-3-glutaric acid-(6'-methylresorufin) ester (DGGR) lipase in dogs with evidence of portal hypertension and normal pancreatic histology: a pilot study.

By Serrano, Gonçalo et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc·2021·Small Animal Department·View original on PubMed

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dog

Plain-English summary

A group of dogs with liver disease and signs of portal hypertension (increased blood pressure in the liver) were tested for pancreatic enzymes to see if they indicated pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas). Six dogs were included in the study, and four showed elevated levels of a specific pancreatic enzyme (Spec cPL), while two had increased DGGR lipase levels. This suggests that dogs with portal hypertension might have higher pancreatic enzyme levels even when there is no actual pancreatitis. Pet owners should be aware that these test results can be misleading in dogs with liver issues.

People also search for: dog liver disease symptoms · elevated pancreatic enzymes in dogs · portal hypertension in dogs · pancreatitis diagnosis in dogs

Abstract

The clinical presentations of both liver disease and pancreatitis are nonspecific and overlapping, which may cause difficulty in diagnosis. In our retrospective pilot study, we assessed whether dogs with evidence of portal hypertension and absence of pancreatitis on pancreatic histology have increases in canine pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity (cPLI) and 1,2-o-dilauryl-rac-glycero-3-glutaric acid-(6'-methylresorufin) ester (DGGR) lipase. We included dogs that had been presented between 2008 and 2019 if they had normal pancreatic histology, histologically confirmed hepatopathy, and if canine pancreas-specific lipase (Spec cPL; Idexx) or DGGR lipase had been measured. Only dogs with portal hypertension were included. Six dogs fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Four of 6 and 2 of 6 dogs had Spec cPL and DGGR lipase exceeding the upper reference limit, respectively. From the 4 dogs with increased Spec cPL, 2 had concentrations of 200-400 µg/L and 2 had concentrations ≥ 400 µg/L. Our results suggest that canine portal hypertension might lead to increased Spec cPL and DGGR lipase values in the absence of pancreatitis on histology. Until more evidence in a larger number of dogs with portal hypertension is available, both tests should be interpreted cautiously in the presence of portal hypertension.

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Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33797297/