Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Blood iron and inflammation markers in dogs with systemic
By Torrente, Carlos et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary emergency and critical care (San Antonio, Tex. : 2001)·2015·Servei d'Emergè, Spain·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Plasma iron, C-reactive protein, albumin, and plasma fibrinogen concentrations in dogs with systemic inflammatory response syndrome.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 116 dogs, some with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) or sepsis, were studied to understand how certain blood markers could help diagnose and predict outcomes. Dogs with SIRS had lower iron levels compared to those with localized inflammation. The study found that an increase in iron levels and a decrease in C-reactive protein (CRP) during their hospital stay were linked to better recovery chances. This suggests that monitoring these blood markers could help veterinarians assess the health of dogs with inflammatory conditions and improve treatment strategies.
People also search for: dog SIRS symptoms · dog sepsis treatment · low iron levels in dogs · CRP levels in dogs · dog recovery from inflammation
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the diagnostic and prognostic value over time of plasma iron compared with the inflammatory markers albumin, C-reactive protein (CRP), and fibrinogen in dogs with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). DESIGN: Prospective observational study of sequentially enrolled dogs. SETTING: ICU of a veterinary teaching hospital. ANIMALS: One hundred and sixteen client-owned dogs: 54 dogs with SIRS or sepsis, 42 with focal inflammation, and 20 clinically healthy dogs. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Blood samples were obtained on admission in all study groups, and then on alternate days until discharge or death in both inflammation groups. On admission, dogs with SIRS had significantly lower plasma iron (65 ± 5.8 μg/dL, P = 0.001) concentrations than dogs with focal inflammation (89.5 ± 6.2 μg/dL, P = 0.001). Plasma iron, albumin, and CRP effectively discriminated the SIRS/sepsis group from those presenting with focal inflammation with areas under the curve for the receiver operating curves of 0.679, 0.834, and 0.704, respectively. The admission values for these variables did not discriminate survivors from nonsurvivors within the SIRS/sepsis group. However, the magnitude of increase in iron concentration and the decrease in CRP concentration from admission to hospital discharge was higher in survivors than in nonsurvivors within the SIRS/septic group (22.8 vs. 2.51 μg/dL, respectively, P = 0.021 for iron; -67.1 vs. -4.1 mg/L, respectively, P = 0.002 for CRP), resulting in iron and CRP concentrations at hospital discharge for survivors similar to those in the focal inflammation group. CONCLUSION: Hypoferremia is a sensitive marker of systemic inflammation in dogs. In this study, the increase in iron concentrations during the hospitalization period of SIRS/septic dogs was associated with a better prognosis, suggesting that plasma iron in combination with CRP and albumin concentrations might be used to monitor dogs with inflammatory disease processes.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26172578/