title: Evaluation of C-reactive protein, haptoglobin and cardiac troponin 1 levels in brachycephalic dogs with upper airway obstructive syndrome.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Brachycephalic dogs have unique upper respiratory anatomy with abnormal breathing patterns similar to those in humans with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). The objective of this study was to evaluate the correlation between anatomical components, clinical signs and several biomarkers, used to determine systemic inflammation and myocardial damage (C-reactive protein, CRP; Haptoglobin, Hp; cardiac troponin I, cTnI), in dogs with brachycephalic upper airway obstructive syndrome (BAOS).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty brachycephalic dogs were included in the study and the following information was studied: signalment, clinical signs, thoracic radiographs, blood work, ECG, components of BAOS, and CRP, Hp and cTnI levels. A high proportion of dogs with BAOS (88%) had gastrointestinal signs. The prevalence of anatomic components of BAOS was: elongated soft palate (100%), stenotic nares (96%), everted laryngeal saccules (32%) and tracheal hypoplasia (29.1%). Increased serum levels of biomarkers were found in a variable proportion of dogs: 14% (7/50) had values of CRP > 20 mg/L, 22.9% (11/48) had values of Hp > 3 g/L and 47.8% (22/46) had levels of cTnI > 0.05 ng/dl. Dogs with everted laryngeal saccules had more severe respiratory signs (p<0.02) and higher values of CRP (p<0.044). No other statistical association between biomarkers levels and severity of clinical signs was found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  According to the low percentage of patients with elevated levels of CRP and Hp, BAOS does not seem to cause an evident systemic inflammatory status. Some degree of myocardial damage may occur in dogs with BAOS that can be detected by cTnI concentration.
authors.affiliation: Animal Medicine and Surgery Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona 08193, Spain. marta.planellas@uab.cat
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Planellas
authors.forename: Rafaela
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cuenca
authors.forename: Maria-Dolores
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Tabar
authors.forename: Coralie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bertolani
authors.forename: Cyrill
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Poncet
authors.forename: Josep M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Closa
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lorente
authors.forename: Jose J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Cerón
authors.forename: Josep
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pastor
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006242:Haptoglobins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D015508:Nasal Obstruction / Q000378:metabolism / Q000662:veterinary*; D019210:Troponin I / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D006242:Haptoglobins; D019210:Troponin I; D002097:C-Reactive Protein