Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Pulmonary artery inflammation lasts 10 months after dog heartworm
By Falcón-Cordón, Y et al.Ā·Published in Veterinary parasitologyĀ·2019Ā·Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, SpainĀ·View original on PubMed ā
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research ā every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work ā
Original publication title: Persistence of pulmonary endarteritis in canine heartworm infection 10 months after the eradication of adult parasites of Dirofilaria immitis.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 23 dogs with heartworm infection were treated with adulticide to kill the adult worms, but 10 months later, many still showed signs of lung damage. The study measured a specific index to assess the health of the pulmonary arteries and found that over half of the dogs had persistent issues even after the worms were gone. While some heart function improved, the vascular damage caused by the heartworms appeared to be chronic and not fully reversible. This highlights the importance of monitoring lung health in dogs after heartworm treatment to determine if further care is needed.
People also search for: dog heartworm treatment Ā· signs of lung damage in dogs Ā· heartworm recovery in dogs
Abstract
Pulmonary endarteritis caused by Dirofilaria immitis and pulmonary hypertension (PH) are closely linked and the determination of PH could be validated to assess the severity and chronicity of the vascular damage, i.e. by the use of the Right Pulmonary Artery Distensibility (RPAD) Index. The aim was to evaluate the RPAD Index in dogs 10 months after the last dose of adulticide. The study included 23 client-owned dogs with heartworm brought for adulticide treatment. Echocardiographic exam was carried out to estimate worm burden, RPAD Index as well as other routine echocardiographic values on day 0 (diagnosis), day 120 (discharge), and 10 months after the last dose of adulticide. No significant differences were observed in the RPAD Index over time, neither when microfilaremic status and parasite burden were evaluated. An RPAD Index <29% was found in 52.2% of the dogs on day 0, day 120, and 10 months after the last dose of adulticide. Regarding other echocardiographic parameters, only significant differences were observed on tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) values between day 0:day 120 (p = 0.008), and day 0:end of the study (p = 0.037). There was not significant improvement in pulmonary damage 10 months after the elimination of the parasites (p = 0.296), suggesting that, once the endarteritis has developed, the vascular changes are chronic and may not be reversible. The modifications of the TAPSE value suggest an improvement in the systolic function of the right ventricle after the disappearance of the worms, independently of the presence of PH. The endarteritis causes a decrease in the elasticity in the pulmonary vasculature and an increase in the resistance that, chronically, and depending on the severity, will cause the development of PH and later right heart failure. This complication of the disease is one of the most damaging and frequent, so it is necessary to adequately monitor PH in dogs undergoing adulticide treatment. Furthermore, knowing the pulmonary status could provide valuable information to help provide an objective prognosis and help assess the need to add additional treatments, once the worms have been eliminated.
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 āOriginal publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31442886/