title: Prevalence of dilated cardiomyopathy in Doberman Pinschers in various age groups.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in Doberman Pinschers is an autosomal dominant inherited disease. The prevalence of DCM in Doberman Pinschers of various age groups in Europe is currently unknown, but this information would be important to develop recommendations for screening programs.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the prevalence of cardiomyopathy in various age groups of Dobermans.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seven hundred and seventy-five examinations in 412 Doberman Pinschers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Dogs were included in a prospective longitudinal cohort study. Each examination included echocardiography and 24-hour ECG (Holter) examination. A cut-off value of >100 ventricular premature contractions (VPCs) per 24 hours on Holter examination or abnormal echocardiography was considered diagnostic for cardiomyopathy. The cumulative prevalence included all dogs with DCM and healthy dogs >7 years of age.
  
  
  RESULTS
  DCM prevalence in various age groups was as follows: age group 1 (1 to <2 years) 3.3%, age group 2 (2 to <4 years) 9.9%, age group 3 (4 to <6 years) 12.5%, age group 4 (6 to <8 years) 43.6%, and age group 5 (>8 years) 44.1%. The cumulative prevalence of Doberman Pinscher cardiomyopathy was 58.2%. There was an equal sex distribution, but male dogs showed earlier echocardiographic changes than did female dogs, which had significantly more VPCs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of Doberman cardiomyopathy is very high in Europe. Disease manifestation and progression are different between male and female dogs. Yearly screening for DCM by Holter examination and echocardiography is recommended, starting at 2 years of age.
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Small Animal Medicine, Ludwig Maximilians University, Munich, Germany. gwess@lmu.de
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wess
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schulze
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Butz
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Simak
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Killich
authors.forename: L J M
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Keller
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Maeurer
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hartmann
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D002311:Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000662:veterinary*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D008297:Male