Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Why dogs with mitral valve disease often cough
By Ferasin, L et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2013·Specialist Veterinary Cardiology Consultancy Ltd, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Risk factors for coughing in dogs with naturally acquired myxomatous mitral valve disease.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 206 dogs with a heart condition called myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) were studied to understand why some of them were coughing. It turns out that coughing in these dogs is more closely linked to issues like an abnormal airway pattern and an enlarged left atrium rather than congestive heart failure (CHF). This means that if your dog with MMVD is coughing, it might not be due to heart failure, but rather other airway problems. Understanding this can help your veterinarian provide better treatment options for your dog.
People also search for: dog coughing heart disease · myxomatous mitral valve disease symptoms · dog cough treatment options
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Cough often is reported as the primary clinical sign of congestive heart failure (CHF) in dogs with chronic degenerative myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD). Concurrent airway disease and compression of the left mainstem bronchus by a large left atrium also have been proposed as potential causes of coughing in these patients. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association between the presence of coughing and different potential causes of cough, including CHF, abnormal radiographic airway pattern, and cardiomegaly in dogs affected by naturally acquired MMVD. ANIMALS: Two hundred six client-owned dogs. METHODS: Retrospective analysis performed on medical records of dogs affected by MMVD that underwent full cardiac evaluation, including echocardiographic examination and thoracic radiography. RESULTS: Univariate analyses showed that CHF is not a predictor of coughing (OR = 1.369; 0.723, 2.594), whereas abnormal radiographic airway pattern (OR = 3.650; 2.051, 6.496) and increased left atrial size observed radiographically (OR = 3.637; 1.904, 6.950) or echocardiographically (OR = 2.553; 1.436, 4.539) were significantly associated with coughing in dogs with MMVD. The same risk factors were significant in multivariate analyses. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: This study indicates that CHF is not significantly associated with coughing in dogs with MMVD. Instead, abnormal radiographic airway pattern and left atrial enlargement are associated with coughing in these patients. This important finding should be taken into account when considering diagnosis and clinical management of CHF in these dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23398050/