Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Protein-losing enteropathy lowers fecal enzyme activity in dogs
By Ruaux, Craig G et al.·Published in Veterinary clinical pathology·2004·Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Protein-losing enteropathy in dogs is associated with decreased fecal proteolytic activity.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with protein-losing enteropathy (PLE), which causes them to lose proteins through their intestines, showed lower levels of digestive enzymes in their feces compared to healthy dogs. This decrease in fecal proteolytic activity could lead to misdiagnosis of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI), a condition where the pancreas doesn't produce enough digestive enzymes. The study found that the more proteinase inhibitors were lost in the feces, the less digestive activity was present. Understanding this relationship can help veterinarians avoid false diagnoses and ensure proper treatment for dogs with PLE.
People also search for: dog protein-losing enteropathy symptoms · dog EPI diagnosis · low digestive enzyme levels in dogs
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Measurement of proteolytic activity in feces is a traditional method for the diagnosis of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI). A drawback of this method is the occurrence of falsely low results that may lead to a false-positive diagnosis of EPI. We hypothesized that intestinal loss of serum proteinase inhibitors in protein-losing enteropathy (PLE) may inhibit fecal proteolytic activity and be a potential source of false low results. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine the effect of PLE on fecal proteolytic activity in dogs. METHODS: Fecal proteolytic activity was measured using a radial diffusion casein digestion assay in 12 samples from 4 clinically healthy control dogs and 30 samples from 16 dogs with PLE. Gastrointestinal protein loss was assessed using an ELISA to determine fecal canine alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor concentration. The relationship between the concentration of canine alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor in the feces and the diameter cleared in the casein digestion assay was determined. The mean clearing diameter was compared between control dogs and dogs with PLE. RESULTS: A significant negative correlation was observed between fecal canine alpha1-proteinase inhibitor concentration and casein clearing diameter (P <.001, Pearson r =.6317, r2 =.3999). Mean clearing diameter was significantly lower in dogs with PLE than in control dogs (12.63 vs 16.83 mm, P <.001, two-tailed Student's t-test). CONCLUSION: Increased fecal loss of alpha1-proteinase inhibitor in dogs with PLE is associated with a significant decrease in fecal proteolytic activity and may result in a false positive diagnosis of EPI.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15048622/