Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Serum gastrin levels in dogs with liver disease compared to healthy
By Mazaki-Tovi, M et al.·Published in The Veterinary record·2012·mmtovi@gmail.com·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Serum gastrin concentrations in dogs with liver disorders.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with liver disorders was tested for gastrin levels, a hormone that can affect the stomach. The study found that dogs with a specific liver condition called congenital portosystemic shunt had lower gastrin levels compared to healthy dogs. However, there was no significant difference in gastrin levels between dogs with other liver diseases and healthy dogs. Interestingly, low gastrin levels may indicate a portosystemic shunt, but the study did not find a clear link between gastrin levels and common symptoms like vomiting or diarrhea in dogs with liver issues. More research is needed to understand these findings better.
People also search for: dog liver disease symptoms · low gastrin levels in dogs · congenital portosystemic shunt treatment · dog vomiting liver problems
Abstract
Dogs with liver disorders often display gastrointestinal signs that may be triggered by ulceration. The liver is important for inactivation of some forms of gastrin. Therefore, hypergastrinaemia has been implicated in the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal ulcerations related to liver dysfunction. The aim of this study was to determine serum gastrin concentrations in dogs with liver disease. Fasted blood samples were collected from 15 dogs with newly diagnosed liver disease and 18 healthy dogs. Gastrin concentrations were significantly lower in dogs with congenital portosystemic shunt compared with healthy dogs (P=0.003). No significant difference (P=0.6) in gastrin concentration was revealed between dogs with hepatocellular disease and healthy dogs. Serum gastrin concentrations were not significantly associated with the occurrence of vomiting, anorexia, diarrhoea, or melaena in dogs with liver disorders. These findings did not provide support for the role of hypergastrinaemia in the development of gastrointestinal signs associated with liver disease in dogs. Decreased serum concentrations of gastrin in a dog with liver disease may suggest the presence of portosystemic shunt. Further investigation is warranted to determine the importance of hyopogastrinaemia in congenital postosystemic shunts in dogs and to evaluate potential alterations in serum gastrin concentrations in specific hepatocellular diseases.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22706038/