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. 2023 May-Jun;37(3):948-959.
doi: 10.1111/jvim.16710. Epub 2023 Apr 19.

Hemostatic profiles in dogs with sudden acquired retinal degeneration syndrome

Alex M Lynch  1 , Laura K Ruterbories  1 , James B Robertson  2 , Katharine F Lunn  1 , Freya M Mowat  1   3   4
Affiliations

Hemostatic profiles in dogs with sudden acquired retinal degeneration syndrome

Alex M Lynch et al. J Vet Intern Med. 2023 May-Jun.

Abstract

Background: Sudden acquired retinal degeneration syndrome (SARDS) is a common cause of irreversible blindness in dogs. It bears clinical resemblance to hypercortisolism, which can be associated with hypercoagulability. The role of hypercoagulability in dogs with SARDS is unknown.

Objective: Determine hemostatic profiles in dogs with SARDS.

Animals: Prospective pilot study: Dogs with a history of SARDS (n = 12). Prospective case-control study: Dogs with recent onset of SARDS (n = 7) and age-, breed-, and sex-matched controls (n = 7).

Methods: Prospective pilot study: We performed thromboelastography (TEG). Prospective case-control study: Dogs had CBC, serum biochemistry, urinalysis, TEG, fibrinogen concentration, antithrombin activity, D-dimers, thrombin-antithrombin complexes, and optical platelet aggregometry performed.

Results: Prospective pilot study: 9/12 dogs with a history of SARDS were hypercoagulable with increased TEG G value and 2/3 had hyperfibrinogenemia. Case-control study: All dogs with SARDS and 5/7 controls were hypercoagulable based on TEG G value. Dogs with SARDS had significantly higher G values (median, 12.7 kdynes/s; range, 11.2-25.4; P = .04) and plasma fibrinogen concentration (median, 463 mg/dL; range, 391-680; P < .001) compared to controls.

Conclusions and clinical importance: Hypercoagulability was common in both dogs with SARDS and controls, but dogs with SARDS were significantly more hypercoagulable on TEG. The role of hypercoagulability in the pathogenesis of SARDS remains to be determined.

Keywords: SARDS; coagulation; fibrinogen; hypercoagulability.

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Conflict of interest statement

Authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Case‐control complete blood count. Scatterplots of (A) hematocrit (%), (B) platelet count (Plt) (×103/μL), (C) plasma protein concentration (g/dL) and (D) segmented neutrophil count (Seg) (×103/μL) in dogs with sudden acquired retinal degeneration syndrome (SARDS) compared to controls. No measurements met the P value cutoff for significance. Median and interquartile range are shown, with the shaded area representing the reference range of measurements.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Case‐control thromboelastography (TEG). Scatterplots of (A) R time (R) (minutes), (B) K time (K) (minutes), (C) alpha angle (degrees), (D) maximum amplitude (MA) (mm), (E) elastic shear modulus (G) (kdynes/s), (F) % lysis at 30 minutes (LY30) (%) in dogs with sudden acquired retinal degeneration syndrome (SARDS) compared to controls. *P < .05. Median and interquartile range are shown, with the shaded area representing the reference range of measurements.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Case‐control coagulation testing. Scatterplots of (A) antithrombin (AT) activity (%), (B) fibrinogen (mg/dL) (×103/μL), (C) D‐dimers (ng/dL), and (D) thrombin‐antithrombin (TAT) complex (%) in dogs with sudden acquired retinal degeneration syndrome (SARDS) compared to controls. (E) Simple linear regression plot with 95% confidence intervals of thromboelastography (TEG)‐G and fibrinogen concentration illustrating the significant positive association. (F) Simple linear regression plot with 95% confidence intervals of TEG‐maximum amplitude (MA) and fibrinogen concentration illustrating the significant positive association. (G) Simple linear regression plot of age and Fibrinogen concentration. ***P < .0001. Median and interquartile range are shown, with the shaded area representing the reference range of measurements.
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