Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Using a blood test to diagnose heart failure in dogs with cough
By DeFrancesco, Teresa C et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2007·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Prospective clinical evaluation of an ELISA B-type natriuretic peptide assay in the diagnosis of congestive heart failure in dogs presenting with cough or dyspnea.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with coughing or breathing problems were tested for a hormone called B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) to help diagnose congestive heart failure (CHF). The study found that dogs with CHF had much higher levels of BNP compared to those with other causes of coughing or breathing issues. This means that measuring BNP can be a helpful tool for veterinarians to determine if a dog has CHF, especially since the levels of BNP increased with the severity of the heart failure. This test can aid in making a more accurate diagnosis and guiding treatment options for affected dogs.
People also search for: dog cough heart failure · dog breathing problems diagnosis · BNP test for dogs
Abstract
BACKGROUND: B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is increased in dogs with congestive heart failure (CHF). HYPOTHESIS: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical utility of a novel canine-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay of BNP for the diagnosis of CHF in dogs presenting with either cough or dyspnea. ANIMALS: Three hundred and thirty dogs from 2 large university teaching hospitals. METHODS: We prospectively measured plasma BNP concentrations in 3 groups of dogs: (1) normal adult dogs (n = 75), (2) dogs with asymptomatic heart disease (n = 76), and (3) dogs with cough or dyspnea (n = 179). The final diagnosis of dogs with cough or dyspnea and the severity of CHF (International Small Animal Cardiac Health Council Heart Failure Classification [ISACHC]) were determined by medical record review by a study cardiologist who was blinded to the results of the BNP assay. RESULTS: Dogs with CHF had a higher median BNP concentration (24.6 pg/mL) than dogs with noncardiac causes of cough or dyspnea (2.6 pg/mL) (P < .0001). The area under the curve was 0.91 for the receiver operating curve analysis of the diagnostic accuracy of the BNP measurement to differentiate CHF from other causes of cough or dyspnea. The median BNP concentrations in dogs were 3.0 pg/mL with ISACHC I, 17.8 pg/mL with ISACHC II, and 30.5 pg/mL with ISACHC III. (P < .0001) CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Measurement of BNP is useful in establishing or in excluding the diagnosis of CHF in dogs with cough or dyspnea. B-type natriuretic peptide concentrations rose significantly as a function of severity of CHF.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17427384/