Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How lipase levels change in dogs with acute pancreatitis in hospital
By Cueni, Claudia et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2023·Clinic for Small Animal Internal Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Progression of lipase activity and pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity in dogs hospitalized for acute pancreatitis and correlation with clinical features.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 39 dogs with acute pancreatitis (AP) showed high levels of lipase, an enzyme that indicates pancreatic inflammation, when they were hospitalized. Most dogs had symptoms for about two days before being treated, and their lipase levels dropped significantly within two days of starting treatment. By the second day, about a third of the dogs had lipase levels return to normal. The study found that changes in lipase levels were closely linked, and a specific ultrasound finding (hyperechoic mesentery) could help identify AP early. Most dogs responded well to treatment and improved quickly.
People also search for: dog pancreatitis symptoms · dog lipase levels treatment · acute pancreatitis in dogs recovery
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Lipase activity and pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity (PLI) have not been compared in dogs hospitalized for acute pancreatitis (AP). OBJECTIVES: To describe the progression of lipase activity and PLI, and correlations with clinicopathologic features in dogs with AP. ANIMALS: Thirty-nine dogs with AP based on clinical signs and lipase activity >350 U/L (reference interval [RI], 24-108 U/L). METHODS: Retrospective study. Lipase activity (LIPC Roche), PLI (SpecPL), and clinical signs were recorded daily. Admission (d1) data (clinical, laboratory, and ultrasound [US] findings), and clinical signs during hospitalization (d2-d3) were assessed for correlation with lipases. RESULTS: Median (range) duration of clinical signs before presentation was 2 days (1-7 days). Median (range) lipase activity and PLI at d1 were 1070 U/L (range, 357-1500 U/L) and 1111 μg/L (range, 292-1500 μg/L). Strong correlation between assays at d1 (r0.96; P < .0001; n = 39), remained equally strong on d2 (r0.964; P < .0001; n = 39), and d3 (r0.966; P < .0001; n = 22). On d2, lipase activity and PLI were within RI in 13/39 (33%) and 18/39 (46%) of cases. Lipase activities were minimally increased (median, 124 U/L) in 5 dogs with d2 PLI <200 μg/L. On d3, 4 more dogs had normal lipase activity and PLI, and the nature and magnitude of change were always the same for both assays. Clinical signs were not associated with lipases. Only a hyperechoic mesentery, but not an US diagnosis of AP, correlated significantly with lipase activity and PLI. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Lipase decreases rapidly to near or within RI within 2 days of treatment in the majority of dogs with AP. Both lipase assays yielded virtually identical results. Mesenteric echogenicity may be an early marker of AP in dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36468410/