Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Low vitamin D and inflammation common in hospitalized dogs and cats
By Rose, Hailey et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2024·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Serum vitamin D metabolite and acute-phase protein concentrations are frequently abnormal in a cohort of hospitalized dogs and cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 79 dogs and 16 cats that were hospitalized showed that many had low levels of vitamin D in their blood. Specifically, 22 dogs and 2 cats had vitamin D levels that were considered deficient. The study found no clear link between these vitamin D levels and survival rates, but some relationships were noted between vitamin D and certain proteins that indicate inflammation or illness severity. This suggests that while low vitamin D might be common in sick pets, it doesn't necessarily predict how well they will do. More research is needed to understand these connections better.
People also search for: dog vitamin D deficiency symptoms · cat low vitamin D treatment · hospitalized dog recovery signs
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25[OH]2D) concentrations are associated with survival and negatively correlate with acute-phase protein (APP) concentrations in ill dogs and cats admitted to nursing care units. ANIMALS: Client-owned dogs (n = 79) and cats (16) admitted to 2 academic veterinary hospital nursing care units. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted between August 12, 2019, and October 26, 2021. A diagnostic laboratory measured 25(OH)D, 1,25(OH)2D, and haptoglobin (HPT) in dogs and cats; C-reactive protein (CRP) in dogs; and serum amyloid A (SAA) in cats. Serum was collected within 12 hours of admission. Illness severity (acute patient physiologic and laboratory evaluation [APPLEfast]) scores and survival data were recorded. RESULTS: Serum 25(OH)D concentrations were in the deficient range for 22 of 79 dogs and 2 of 16 cats. There were no associations between serum analyte concentrations (25[OH]D, 1,25[OH]2D, and APP) or APPLEfast score and survival in dogs or cats. In dogs, HPT was negatively correlated with 25(OH)D (P = .002; r = -0.34) and 1,25(OH)2D (P = .012; r = -0.28), while CRP was positively correlated with HPT (P = .001; r = 0.32) and APPLEfast score (P = .014; r = 0.16). In cats, 1,25(OH)2D was negatively correlated with APPLEfast scores (P = .055; r = -0.49) and SAA was positively correlated with HPT (P = .002; r = 0.73). CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Serum 25(OH)D or 1,25(OH)2D was not associated with survival in our hospitalized patient population. Relationships between APP and serum vitamin D metabolites with APPLEfast scores in cats warrant further investigation as illness severity biomarkers.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38537373/