Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Blood markers linked to heart valve disease stages in dogs
By Valente, Carlotta et al.·Published in Frontiers in veterinary science·2021·Department of Animal Medicine, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Plasmatic Dimethylarginines in Dogs With Myxomatous Mitral Valve Disease.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 85 dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD), a common heart condition, showed higher levels of certain substances in their blood that may indicate the severity of their heart disease. The dogs were divided into groups based on the stage of their condition, with those in the more advanced stages (C+D) having significantly higher levels of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) and symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) compared to those in earlier stages and healthy dogs. These findings suggest that measuring these substances could help veterinarians assess how severe the heart disease is in dogs with MMVD.
People also search for: dog heart disease symptoms · myxomatous mitral valve disease in dogs · elevated dimethylarginines in dogs
Abstract
Plasmatic dimethylarginines, asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) and symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) are considered biomarkers of endothelial and renal dysfunction, respectively, in humans. We hypothesize that plasmatic concentration of dimethylarginines in dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) is influenced by heart disease stage. Eighty-five client-owned dogs with MMVD, including 39, 19, and 27 dogs in ACVIM stages B1, B2, and C+D, respectively, and a control group of 11 clinically healthy dogs were enrolled. A prospective, multicentric, case-control study was performed. Each dog underwent a complete clinical examination, arterial blood pressure measurement, thoracic radiography, six-lead standard electrocardiogram, transthoracic echocardiography, CBC, biochemical profile, and urinalysis. Plasmatic concentration of dimethylarginines was determined through high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. Median ADMA was significantly increased in dogs of group C+D (2.5 μmol/L [2.1-3.0]) compared to those of group B1 (1.8 μmol/L [1.6-2.3];< 0.001) and healthy dogs (1.9 μmol/L [1.7-2.3];= 0.02). Median SDMA was significantly increased in dogs of group C+D (0.7 μmol/L [0.5-0.9]) compared to those of groups B1 (0.4 μmol/L [0.3-0.5];< 0.001), B2 (0.4 μmol/L [0.3-0.6];< 0.01), and the control group (0.4 μmol/L [0.35-0.45];= 0.001). In the final multivariable analysis, ADMA and SDMA were significantly associated with left atrium to aorta ratio (< 0.001), and creatinine (< 0.001), respectively. Increased plasmatic concentrations of dimethylarginines suggest a possible role as biomarkers of disease severity in dogs with decompensated MMVD.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34604374/