Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Long-term outlook and troponin levels in Great Danes with heart
By El Sharkawy, S et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary cardiology : the official journal of the European Society of Veterinary Cardiology·2023·Small Animal Teaching Hospital, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Long-term outcome and troponin I concentrations in Great Danes screened for dilated cardiomyopathy: an observational retrospective epidemiological study.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of Great Danes was evaluated for heart problems, specifically dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), which is common in this breed. The study found that dogs with higher levels of cardiac troponin-I (cTnI), a protein that indicates heart stress, had shorter lifespans and were more likely to die suddenly from heart issues. In fact, those with clinical DCM had a median survival of just over a year, while those with ventricular arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats) lived even less. This suggests that measuring cTnI can help veterinarians identify dogs at greater risk for serious heart problems.
People also search for: Great Dane heart problems · dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs · elevated troponin I in dogs · sudden cardiac death in Great Danes · dog heart disease prognosis
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is common in Great Danes (GDs) but screening for this condition can be challenging. We hypothesised that cardiac troponin-I (cTnI) concentration is elevated in GDs with DCM and/or ventricular arrhythmias (VAs), and is associated with reduced survival time in GDs. ANIMALS: One hundred and twenty-four client-owned GDs assigned echocardiographically as normal (n = 53), equivocal (n = 37), preclinical DCM (n = 21), or clinical DCM (n = 13). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective epidemiological study. Echocardiographic diagnosis, VAs, and contemporaneous cTnI concentrations were recorded. Diagnostic accuracy and cTnI cut-offs were determined with receiver operating characteristic analyses. Effects of the cTnI concentration and disease status on survival and cause of death were explored. RESULTS: Median cTnI was greater in clinical DCM (0.6 ng/mL [25th-75th percentiles: 0.41-1.71 ng/mL]) and GDs with VAs (0.5 ng/mL [0.27-0.80 ng/mL], P<0.001). Elevated cTnI detected these dogs with good accuracy (area under the curve: 0.78-0.85; cut-offs 0.199-0.34 ng/mL). Thirty-eight GDs (30.6%) suffered a cardiac death (CD); GDs suffering CD (0.25 ng/mL [0.21-0.53 ng/mL]) and specifically sudden cardiac death (SCD) (0.51 ng/mL [0.23-0.72 ng/mL]) had higher cTnI than GDs dying of other causes (0.20 ng/mL [0.14-0.35 ng/mL]; P<0.001). Elevated cTnI (>0.199 ng/mL) was associated with shorter long-term survival (1.25 years) and increased risk of SCD. Great Danes with VAs had shorter survival times (0.97 years). CONCLUSIONS: A cardiac troponin-I concentration is a useful adjunctive screening tool. Elevated cTnI is a negative prognostic indicator.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37099865/