17th
FECAVA Eurocongress ISTANBUL, 7 – 11 Sept 2011
Rev. p.
452.
DilaTATIVE cardiomyopathy in dog - a study
regarding the correlation between incidence of the disease and animal gender
Brăslaşu M.C., Daniela Elena Brăslaşu, Silvia Joiţa,
Emilia Ciobotaru, S. Ionescu
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
Bucharest
Dilated
cardiomyopathy is an idiopathic cardiop athy characterized by increase of
ventricular cavities and systolic disfunction.
Investigations
were done in the Internal Disease Department of the Faculty of Veterinary
Medicine Bucharest during 30 month period (2 years and a half). There was a
clinical diagnosis (cough, exercise intolerance, collapse, weakness, murmur,
palor, ascites) and a paraclinic examination, which included: A) electrocardiographic
examination: arrhythmia (atrial fibrillation, enlargement of left ventricle,
elevation of ST segment, premature ventricular beats), B) Echocardiographic
examination: decrease of shortening fraction, increase
of ventricular chambers diameters; C) Rx examination: increase of cardial
silhouette, pulmonary oedema, ascites, pleuresia; D) Blood biochemistry
(general status evaluation).
2659
dogs with different ages, clinically healthy, with cardiac and non-cardiac
diseases have been examined. There were 49,23% females (n. 1309) and 50,77% males (n.1350).
From the total number of subjects, 107 dogs
(4,02%) have been diagnosed with III and IV degree dilated cardiomyopathy. From
the patients diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, there were 27,10% females (n. 29) and 72,90% males (n.78). There was an equal ratio
between spayed and intact females - 44,44% : 55,55%. Dilated cardiomyopathy was
diagnosed mostly in large breed dogs (Great Dane, Caucasian, Mastino
Napoletano) or medium breed dogs (Boxer, German Shepherd, Doberman pinscher).
Our
results are in conformity with other studies (Ettinger S.J. and Feldman E.C.,
2010; Palermo Valentina and col., 2011). The fact that similar results have
been obtained in the study of valvulopathies in dog and also in human medicine,
shows that females are more resistant in developing cardiopathies.
Dilated cardiomiopathy is an idiopathic disease characterized by
ventricular increase and systolic dysfunction.
As in human medicine it has been
emphasized that men are at a higher risk to develop cardiopathies, we tried to
show the situation in veterinary medicine.
If in small breed dogs and in small to
medium breed dogs we have established correlations between patient gender and
valvulopathies, in medium and medium to large breed dogs we studied
correlations between patients gender and dilated cardiomiopathy.
The reasons we have chosen these
diseases are:
-
both diseases have a high incidence in dog
-
both diseases are primary diseases with respect
to other diseases (heart failure, miocarditis, cardiac arrhythmias, arterial
hypertension), which can be caused by other non-cardiac diseases.
Material and method
Investigations have been ruled out in
Cardiology Department of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Bucharest on a 45
month period (1.10.2008- 31.07.2011)
2944 dogs have been examined: healthy dogs and
dogs with cardiac and non-cardiac diseases.
Patients were clinically and
paraclinically investigated – echocardiography, electrocardiography, thoracic
Rx, blood biochemistry.
Clinical diagnosis – only patients with
III and IV degree heart failure have been considered in the study (dyspnea,
ortopneea, effort intolerance, dry cough, syncope).
Echocardiography included bidimensional
examinations, in M mode and Doppler echocardiography.
Rx examination included lateral and
dorso – ventral view.
Electrocardiography was standard.
Dilatative cardiomyopathy - Dog, male, 9 years
Lateral and dorso - ventral view
Dilatative cardiomyopathy
Atrial fibrilation with multiple Premature
ventricular beats
Results and debates
The aim of the study was to notice if
there are any correlations between patients gender and dilated cardiomiopathy.
The study included only patients with
clinical signs of heart failure, cardiac
arrhythmia (most of them atrial fibrilation but also premature ventricular
beats), changes of terminal phase ST-T,
ventricular tachicardia, ventricular dilatation of left ventricle, and
decrease of fractional shortening under 25%.
Differential diagnosis for the exclusion
of cardiopathies with cardiomegaly and ventricular arrhythmias played an
important role.
Dilatative cardiomyopathy - Left ventricular enlargement
VS, VD - left and right ventricle
AS, AD - left and right atrium
The animals included in the study were
clinically healthy (routine examination
before surgery), with cardiac and non-cardiac diseases (ex: diabetes mellitus,
pyometra, lung disease, oncologic patients).
There was a mixed population, including
males and females, in an approximately equal ratio – 51, 25% males and 48, 74% females.
Female : Male ratio in the population
included in the study..
F. = female; M. = male
108 dogs (3,66%) from the total number
of patients (2944) were diagnosed with III and IV degree dilatative cardiomiopathy
(NYHA classification).
If male : female ratio in the
population was almost equal, the ratio male : female in the situation of
dilatative cardiomiopathy was 3 : 1 (75% males and 25% females).
Male: female ratio in Dilatative
cardiomiopathy
It has been observed in patients with
cardiac valvulopathies that spayed females are much more at risk than intact
females. In dilatative cardiomiopathy there is no such difference (ratio spayed
females : intact females – 1:1)
This fact could be explained by:
-
shorter evolution of patients with dilatative
cardiomiopathy than of patients with mitral valvulopathies
-
patients with congenital dilatative
cardiomiopathy
-
a smaller number of examined animals (than
animals with cardiac valvulopathies)
Male: Female ratio in Dilatative
cardiomiopathy
The research underlines that males are
much more at risk to develop dilatative cardiomiopathy. The results obtained
are in accordance with studies done by other authors (1 – 6).
Conclusions
1.
2944 dogs from different breeds and with
different ages have been examined on a 45 month period. Male:female ratio was
1:1 (51, 25% males and 48, 74%females).
2.
Dilatative cardiomiopathy (with clinical signs)
has been diagnosed in 3,66% (108) from the total number of patients.
3.
Male: female ratio was 3:1 (75% males and 25%
females). This ratio shows males are much more at risk to develop dilatative
cardiomiopathy.
4.
Our results (propensity of males to develop
CMDP) are in accordance with other bibliographic data
Bibliography
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2. Ettinger S.J., Feldman E.C., 2010 – Textbook of
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