Clinical

First epidemiological study published on hypoadrenocorticism in dogs under primary-care practice in the UK

vetreportMay 20, 2021

The first epidemiological study on hypoadrenocorticism in dogs has been published in the Journal of Small Animal Practice (JSAP). 

The study titled “Hypoadrenocorticism in dogs under UK primary veterinary care: frequency, clinical approaches and risk factors”, collected data from dogs diagnosed with hypoadrenocorticism from patient records of practices participating in the UK VetCompass™ programme during 2016.

Study aims

The aim of the study was to estimate the frequency of dogs with hypoadrenocorticism under primary veterinary care in the UK, to be able to describe the diagnosis and clinical management of hypoadrenocorticism and to identify the risk factors. 

Method 

177 of hypoadrenocorticism cases were identified from a data pool of 905, 543 dogs in 2016.  Cases were categorised as either having a lab confirmed diagnosis of hypoadrenocorticism or a presumed diagnosis. Out of the 177 cases, 72 were laboratory confirmed and 105 were presumed diagnoses. In all cases, the one-year period prevalence for hypoadrenocorticism was 0.06%. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify demographic risk factors.

Findings

The study found the most commonly reported clinical signs on clinical records to be lethargy (77.3%), anorexia (72.7%), vomiting (72.7%), diarrhoea (45.5%), weakness (37.9%) and weight loss (28.8%). 

Hyperkalaemia was also reported in 47 of 53 (88.7%) cases and hyponatraemia was reported in 46 out of 53 (88.7%) cases. The median sodium:potassium ratio was recorded as 19.00. 

Imogen Schofield, corresponding author for the paper, said: ““By presenting epidemiological data on dogs with hypoadrenocorticism attending primary-care practice, this study provides representative and relatable information for vets working in primary-care practice in the UK. It should be borne in mind that diagnostic and clinical management data were reported for laboratory-confirmed cases only.”.

“Breed, age, neuter status and insurance status were all associated with a laboratory-confirmed diagnosis of hypoadrenocorticism. The standard poodle had 51.38 times the odds of hypoadrenocorticism compared with crossbreeds. The labradoodle (OR: 7.40) and West Highland white terrier (OR: 5.84) also had increased odds.”

Nicola Di Girolamo, Editor of JSAP, concluded: “This is the largest study to date to provide benchmark data on hypoadrenocorticism in dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK.

“Given that the frequency of hypoadrenocorticism has rarely been reported, it is typically difficult to diagnose due to the non-specific clinical signs associated with the disease, and many previous studies have focussed on referral populations. This is a welcome publication adding to the evidence base of an important topic.” 

The full article can be found in the May issue of the Journal of Small Animal Practice and can be read online here. It is open access and can be freely accessed by anyone.

The Journal of Small Animal Practice is published monthly and access to articles is free for BSAVA members. For information on how to become a BSAVA member visit their website.

You can read more articles on studies published in JSAP here.