Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Homocysteine and folic acid levels linked to hypothyroidism in dogs
By Gołyński, M et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2017·Department and Clinic of Animal Internal Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Relationship between Total Homocysteine, Folic Acid, and Thyroid Hormones in Hypothyroid Dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 19 dogs with hypothyroidism showed high levels of homocysteine, a substance that can be harmful in excess, and low levels of folic acid, which is important for health. The study found that as homocysteine levels increased, folic acid and thyroid hormone levels decreased. This suggests that hypothyroidism can lead to elevated homocysteine and lower folic acid levels in dogs. If your dog has been diagnosed with hypothyroidism, it's important to monitor these levels, as managing them may help improve their overall health.
People also search for: dog hypothyroidism symptoms · high homocysteine in dogs · low folic acid in dogs
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Both elevated homocysteine and decreased folic acid concentrations are observed in human patients with hypothyroidism and can influence the development of numerous secondary disorders. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to assess total homocysteine concentration in serum and to examine its relationship with the concentration of folic acid and thyroid hormones (tT4 and fT4). ANIMALS: Ten healthy and 19 hypothyroid client-owned dogs. METHODS: Dogs with clinical signs of hypothyroidism had the diagnosis confirmed by additional tests. Total homocysteine, folic acid, total thyroxine, and free thyroxine concentrations in serum were evaluated. RESULTS: Hypothyroid dogs were diagnosed with increased homocysteine (median 22.20 μmol/L; range, 16.50-37.75) and decreased folic acid (median 20.62 nmol/L; range, 10.54-26.35) concentrations, as compared to healthy dogs (11.52 μmol/L; range, 10.00-16.65 and 30.68 nmol/L; range, 22.84-38.52, respectively). In sick dogs, total homocysteine was inversely correlated with folic acid (ρ = -0.47, P < 0.001), total thyroxine (ρ = -0.69, P = 0.0092), and free thyroxine (ρ = -0.56, P = 0.0302). CONCLUSIONS: Hypothyroidism in dogs causes hyperhomocysteinemia. Concomitant mild folic acid decrease in hypothyroid dogs might be as a result of hyperhomocysteinemia.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28804925/