title: Epidemiologic survey of thrombocytopenia in dogs: a report on 987 cases.
abstract: Thrombocytopenia was documented in 987 of 18,910 (5.2%) dogs admitted to North Carolina State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary Teaching Hospital, between 1983 and 1989. Classifying thrombocytopenic dogs by etiologic groups revealed the following proportionate ratios: 5% (48/987) immune-mediated thrombocytopenia; 13% (130/987) neoplasia-associated thrombocytopenia; 23% (224/987) inflammatory/infectious thrombocytopenia; and 59% (585/987) miscellaneous thrombocytopenia. Dogs with immune-mediated thrombocytopenia had significantly (P < 0.05) lower platelet counts (mean 36,760 +/- 50,288 microliter) than dogs in the other three groups, and Doberman Pinschers were overrepresented in all groups except the immune-mediated thrombocytopenic group. We conclude that thrombocytopenia is a prevalent and potentially important diagnostic finding in a variety of disease states.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Microbiology, Pathology and Parasitology and Companion Animal and Special Species Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27606.
authors.forename: Carol B.
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Grindem
authors.forename: Edward B.
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Breitschwerdt
authors.forename: Wayne T.
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Corbett
authors.forename: Heather E.
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Jans