Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
High red blood cell count in dogs with long-term low oxygen lung
By Holopainen, Saila et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2022·Department of Equine and Small Animal Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Polycythemia in dogs with chronic hypoxic pulmonary disease.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with chronic breathing problems due to lung disease were studied to see if they had high red blood cell counts, a condition known as polycythemia. Out of 47 dogs with low oxygen levels, only a few showed mild increases in red blood cell counts, and none had severe polycythemia. This suggests that while some dogs with chronic lung issues may have slightly elevated red blood cells, significant polycythemia is rare. If your dog has breathing difficulties, it's important to monitor their overall health, but severe complications from polycythemia are unlikely.
People also search for: dog breathing problems · chronic lung disease in dogs · polycythemia treatment in dogs
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Prolonged tissue hypoxia caused by chronic pulmonary disease is commonly regarded as an important mechanism in the development of secondary polycythemia, but little clinical data are available to support this hypothesis. OBJECTIVE: To study the prevalence and severity of erythrocytosis accompanying chronic hypoxic pulmonary disease in dogs. ANIMALS: Forty-seven dogs with hypoxic chronic pulmonary disease, 27 dogs with nonhypoxic chronic pulmonary disease, and 60 healthy controls. METHODS: Dogs with chronic pulmonary disease and chronic hypoxemia (partial pressure of arterial oxygen [PaO] < 80 mm Hg on at least 2 arterial blood gas measurements a minimum of 1 month apart) were identified retrospectively from patient records. Association between arterial oxygen and red blood cell parameters was analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficients and multivariable linear regression analysis. RESULTS: Red blood cell parameters measured at the end of the hypoxemia period were within the laboratory reference range in most dogs. In chronically hypoxemic dogs, hematocrit (Hct) was increased in 4/47 (8.5%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0-17) dogs, erythrocyte count (Erytr) was increased in 12/47 (26%; 95%CI, 13-38) dogs and hemoglobin concentration (Hb) was increased in 3/47 (6.4%; 95%CI, 0-14) dogs. No marked polycythemia (Hct ≥65%) was noted in any of the dogs. Red blood cell parameters were not associated with the severity of hypoxemia (correlation to PaO: Erytr, r = -.14; Hb, r = -.21; Hct, r = -.14; P > .05 for all). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Polycythemia is uncommon, and usually mild if present, in dogs with chronic hypoxia caused by pulmonary disease.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35702817/