Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Eye problems linked to blood sugar in diabetic dogs over 10 years
By Cantero, Francisco et al.·Published in Open veterinary journal·2023·Hospital Clí, Spain·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Prevalence of ocular findings and their association with glycemia in dogs with diabetes mellitus: A 10-year clinical study (2009-2019).
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 9-year-old diabetic dog was found to have several eye problems, with cataracts being the most common issue. In a study of 75 diabetic dogs, nearly all had cataracts, and many also showed signs of other eye conditions like vitreous degeneration and anterior uveitis. The research indicated that higher blood sugar levels were linked to more severe eye issues, particularly non-proliferative retinopathy and inflammation in the eye. This suggests that diabetic dogs should have regular eye check-ups, especially if their blood sugar levels are high, to catch and treat these problems early.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Although ocular findings in diabetic patients are well described, prevalence data for those is unknown. AIM: To describe the prevalence of ocular findings and their association with glycemia in dogs with diabetes mellitus. METHODS: Medical records from diabetic dogs assessed by the ophthalmology and the internal medicine services at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of the Autonomous University of Barcelona were reviewed (2009-2019). RESULTS: Seventy-five dogs (150 eyes) of both genders (51/75 females; 68% and 24/75 males; 32%) and a mean age of 9.37 ± 2.43 years, were included. The most common ocular findings were cataracts (146/150; 97.3%), vitreous degeneration (45/98; 45.9%), anterior uveitis (47/150; 31.3%), aqueous deficiency dry eye (ADDE) (33/150; 22%), diffuse corneal edema (31/150; 20.7%), non-proliferative retinopathy (13/98; 13.3%), and lipid keratopathy (9/150; 6%). The most prevalent type of cataracts observed (78/146; 53.4%) was intumescent, which was commonly accompanied by non-proliferative retinopathy (= 0.003). Among the diabetic dogs, blood glucose levels were statistically higher in dogs with non-proliferative retinopathy or anterior uveitis (< 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Ocular complications of diabetes mellitus in dogs are numerous, being the most frequent intumescent cataracts, vitreous degeneration, anterior uveitis, ADDE, diffuse corneal edema, and non-proliferative retinopathy. This high prevalence warrants a more detailed ophthalmic evaluation in diabetic dogs especially for those undergoing cataract surgery. Furthermore, a predisposition for anterior segment inflammation and non-proliferative retinopathy is suggested when fasting plasma glucose is higher than 600 mg/dl..
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37304611/