Investigation of the association between gall bladder wall thickness and hypoalbuminaemia in dogs.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
7-12-2021
Abstract
Objectives
To assess the correlation between gallbladder wall thickness and serum/plasma albumin concentrations in dogs.Materials and methods
Retrospective searches of digital medical record databases were conducted to identify dogs that had either severely low serum/plasma albumin concentration (<1.5 g/dL) or ultrasonographic evidence of gallbladder wall thickening (>2 mm). Analysis of covariance models were used to analyze gallbladder wall thickness with sample type (serum vs plasma), age, etiology, albumin, and albumin ' etiology as the covariates.Results
A total of 216 dogs met inclusion criteria. One-hundred and forty-six dogs had a thickened gallbladder wall (Group 1). Median serum/plasma albumin concentration for dogs in this group was 2.2 g/dL (1 to 5 g/dL), and 84 dogs (57.5%) had hypoalbuminemia (<2.5 g/dL). The search for dogs with severe hypoalbuminemia (< 1.5 g/dL) identified 70 dogs (Group 2). In this group, median gallbladder wall thickness was 1.3 mm (0.2 to 6.1 mm) and 17 dogs (24.3%) had a thickened gallbladder wall. Serum/plasma albumin concentration and gallbladder wall thickness were not significantly correlated for Group 1 (r = 0.0044, p = 0.9580) or Group 2 (r = -0.1137, p = 0.3487). A moderate negative correlation (-0.64) was identified between gallbladder wall thickness and albumin concentration in dogs with immune-mediated diseases (p = 0.03).Clinical significance
Gallbladder wall thickness and serum/plasma albumin concentration are independent variables in dogs.Publication Source (Journal or Book title)
The Journal of small animal practice
Recommended Citation
Johnston, A. (2021). Investigation of the association between gall bladder wall thickness and hypoalbuminaemia in dogs.. The Journal of small animal practice https://doi.org/10.1111/jsap.13358
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