Serum procalcitonin and C-reactive protein concentrations in dogs with degenerative mitral valve disease and infective endocarditis.

This study aimed to investigate the clinical significance of serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT) concentrations in dogs with degenerative mitral valve disease (DMVD) and infective endocarditis. It also aimed to evaluate whether there is a relationship between the degree of disease and serum PCT and CRP concentrations. A total of 100 dogs with MVD were prospectively recruited into the study. According to clinical/laboratory signs and echocardiography, the dogs were divided into infective and degenerative groups. The degenerative group was also classified into four stages based on the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) guidelines (Stages A-D). Serum PCT and CRP concentrations were determined with dog-specific commercial test kits. The serum CRP (P<0.05) and PCT (P<0.001) concentrations in the infective group were significantly higher than the degenerative group. In the degenerative group, the serum CRP concentration of stage D dogs was significantly higher than the other stages (P<0.001), and the degree of disease correlated significantly positively with serum CRP concentration (r=0.531 P=0.000). In conclusion, serum CRP and PCT concentrations may aid traditional diagnostic techniques to differentiate infective and degenerative mitral valve disease. This study also demonstrated that serum CRP concentrations were elevated in Stage D dogs, and that there is a positive correlation between the degree of disease and serum CRP concentration. This can be useful in determining the severity of the inflammatory state in dogs with DMVD.
Cilj rada bio je istražiti kliničku važnost serumskih koncentracija C-reaktivnog proteina (CRP) i prokalcitonina (PCT) u pasa s degenerativnom bolešću mitralnog zaliska (DMVD) i infektivnim endokarditisom. Također, cilj je bio i procijeniti postoji li povezanost između stupnja bolesti i serumskih koncentracija PCT-a i CRP-a. U prospektivno istraživanje uključeno je ukupno je 100 pasa s MVD-om. Prema kliničko laboratorijskim znakovima i ehokardiografiji psi su podijeljeni u skupinu s infektivnom i skupinu s degenerativnom bolešću. Psi s degenerativnom bolešću razvrstani su u četiri stadija (A-D) prema smjernicama American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM). Koncentracije serumskog PCT-a i CRP-a određene su komercijalnim testnim setovima specifičnima za pse. Koncentracije serumskog CRP-a i PCT-a u skupini pasa s infektivnom bolešću bile su znakovito više (P<0,05 i P<0,001) nego one u skupini pasa s degenerativnom bolešću. U skupini s degenerativnom bolešću serumske koncentracije CRP-a u pasa sa stadijem D bile su znakovito više nego u pasa s ostalim stadijima (P<0,001). Stupanj bolesti bio je u znakovitoj pozitivnoj korelaciji sa serumskim koncentracijama CRP-a (r = 0,531, P=0,000). Zaključno, serumske koncentracije CRP-a i PCT-a mogu pomoći tradicionalnim dijagnostičkim metodama u razlikovanju infektivne i degenerativne bolesti mitralnog zaliska. Istraživanje je pokazalo i povišene serumske koncentracije CRP-a u pasa sa stadijem D te pozitivnu korelaciju između stupnja bolesti i koncentracije CRP-a. Navedeno može biti korisno pri procjeni težine upalnog stanja u pasa s DMVD-om.