Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Gallbladder wall thickness linked to low albumin in dogs
By Sparago, J et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2021·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Investigation of the association between gall bladder wall thickness and hypoalbuminaemia in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study looked at 216 dogs to see if there was a link between thickened gallbladder walls and low albumin levels in the blood, which can indicate health issues. While many dogs had thickened gallbladder walls, the researchers found that the thickness did not significantly relate to low albumin levels overall. However, in dogs with immune-mediated diseases, there was a moderate negative correlation, suggesting that in those cases, thicker gallbladder walls might be associated with lower albumin levels. This means that for most dogs, these two issues appear to be separate health concerns.
People also search for: dog gallbladder thickening · low albumin levels in dogs · dog immune-mediated disease symptoms
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To assess the correlation between gallbladder wall thickness and serum/plasma albumin concentrations in dogs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective searches of digital medical record databases were conducted to identify dogs that had either severely low serum/plasma albumin concentration (<1.5 g/dL) or ultrasonographic evidence of gallbladder wall thickening (>2 mm). Analysis of covariance models were used to analyze gallbladder wall thickness with sample type (serum vs plasma), age, etiology, albumin, and albumin ' etiology as the covariates. RESULTS: A total of 216 dogs met inclusion criteria. One-hundred and forty-six dogs had a thickened gallbladder wall (Group 1). Median serum/plasma albumin concentration for dogs in this group was 2.2 g/dL (1 to 5 g/dL), and 84 dogs (57.5%) had hypoalbuminemia (<2.5 g/dL). The search for dogs with severe hypoalbuminemia (< 1.5 g/dL) identified 70 dogs (Group 2). In this group, median gallbladder wall thickness was 1.3 mm (0.2 to 6.1 mm) and 17 dogs (24.3%) had a thickened gallbladder wall. Serum/plasma albumin concentration and gallbladder wall thickness were not significantly correlated for Group 1 (r = 0.0044, p = 0.9580) or Group 2 (r = -0.1137, p = 0.3487). A moderate negative correlation (-0.64) was identified between gallbladder wall thickness and albumin concentration in dogs with immune-mediated diseases (p = 0.03). CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Gallbladder wall thickness and serum/plasma albumin concentration are independent variables in dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34254309/