Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Seizures and long-term outlook in dogs with unknown brain inflammation
By Kaczmarska, Adriana et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2020·Small Animal Hospital, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Postencephalitic epilepsy in dogs with meningoencephalitis of unknown origin: Clinical features, risk factors, and long-term outcome.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 61 dogs diagnosed with meningoencephalitis of unknown origin (MUO) were observed for seizures, with 14 of them (23%) developing postencephalitic epilepsy (PEE). Dogs that developed PEE were generally younger and had shorter survival times compared to those who did not. Factors that increased the risk of developing PEE included having acute seizures early in the illness and specific brain lesions seen on MRI. Unfortunately, some dogs with PEE experienced drug-resistant epilepsy, making treatment more challenging.
People also search for: dog seizures after meningoencephalitis · postencephalitic epilepsy in dogs · treatment for dog epilepsy · dog MRI brain lesions · why is my dog having seizures
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Although the presence of seizures in dogs with meningoencephalitis of unknown origin (MUO) has been associated with shorter survival times, data regarding the prevalence and risk factors for postencephalitic epilepsy (PEE) is lacking. OBJECTIVES: To describe the clinical features, prevalence, risk factors, and long-term outcome of PEE in dogs with MUO. ANIMALS: Sixty-one dogs with presumptive diagnosis of MUO based on the clinicopathological and diagnostic imaging findings. METHODS: Retrospective study. Cases were identified by search of hospital medical records for dogs with suspected or confirmed MUO. Medical records of dogs meeting inclusion criteria were reviewed. Signalment, seizure history, clinicopathologic, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings were recorded. RESULTS: Among 61 dogs at risk of PEE, 14 (23%) dogs developed PEE. Three of 14 dogs with PEE (21%) developed drug-resistant epilepsy. Dogs with PEE were younger (P = .03; OR= 0.75; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.58-0.98) and had significantly shorter survival times (log-rank test P = .04) when compared to dogs that did not develop epilepsy. The risk factors associated with the development of PEE were the presence of acute symptomatic seizures (ASS; P = .04; OR= 4.76; 95% CI, 1.11-20.4) and MRI lesions in the hippocampus (P = .04; OR= 4.75; 95% CI, 1.07-21.0). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Dogs with MUO and seizures at the early stage of the disease (ASS) seem to be at a higher risk of developing PEE.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31990104/