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Etiology and prognosis for dogs with abnormal blood glucose concentrations evaluated in an emergency room
Author(s) -
Hagley Simon P.,
Hopper Kate,
Epstein Steven E.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of veterinary emergency and critical care
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.886
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1476-4431
pISSN - 1479-3261
DOI - 10.1111/vec.12996
Subject(s) - medicine , hyperlactatemia , hypoglycemia , sepsis , septic shock , gastroenterology , medical record , insulin
Objective To determine the prevalence of glucose abnormalities in nondiabetic dogs presenting to a veterinary emergency room (ER) and their association with underlying disease processes, previous glucocorticoid administration, and overall mortality. Design Single‐center, retrospective study from January 2013 to December 2014. Setting University Teaching Hospital. Animals A total of 660 dogs presenting to an ER with a blood glucose concentration measured within 6 hours of presentation. Interventions None. Measurements and main results Medical records from dogs with a blood glucose concentration measured within 6 hours of hospital admission were reviewed. Medications administered prior to blood sampling, the presence of shock, final clinical diagnosis, and survival were recorded. Hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia were defined as a blood glucose <4.4 mmol/L (80 mg/dL) and >6.7 mmol/L (120 mg/dL), respectively. Diabetic patients were removed from analysis. Hyperglycemia was found in 40.1% of dogs, whereas hypoglycemia was present in 9.0%. Hyperglycemia was most often associated with gastrointestinal disease, trauma, neoplasia, and respiratory disease. The most common diseases associated with hypoglycemia were sepsis, gastrointestinal disease, and neoplasia. Dogs in shock or with hyperlactatemia had higher blood glucose values than dogs with normal perfusion and plasma lactate concentrations ( P = 0.016 and P < 0.0001, respectively). Mortality was higher in dogs with hyperglycemia (33.2%, P = 0.03) or hypoglycemia (44.6%, P = 0.0024) compared to those with normoglycemia (24.9%). Conclusion Dysglycemia in nondiabetic dogs evaluated in an ER was associated with a higher mortality rate than dogs in the same population with normoglycemia. Hyperglycemia in this population was common and may represent a stress response.