Serum 25(OH)D reflects clinical characterization in dogs with chronic enteropathies.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: In canine chronic enteropathies (CE) and protein-losing enteropathy (PLE), vitamin D deficiency is recognized as a negative prognostic factor, while 25(OH)D status in relation to other clinical phenotypes has been poorly investigated. METHODS: This study aimed to describe differences in CE dogs according to their response to treatment and to reveal potential associations with retrospective clinical and diagnostic data. RESULTS: A total of 91 dogs were obtained from clinical records and categorized based on their response to treatment into the following groups: food-responsive enteropathy (FRE,= 39), microbiota-related modulation-responsive enteropathies (MrMRE,= 26), immunosuppressant-responsive enteropathy (IRE,= 16), and PLE (= 10). 25(OH)D, determined by UHPLC-MS/MS from stored serum samples, differed significantly among groups (< 0.001). Median levels were markedly lower in the PLE group (10.3 ng/mL; range 10-27) than in FRE (33 ng/mL; 10-68) and MrMRE (37 ng/mL; 10-61) groups (< 0.001). IRE group (20 ng/mL; 10-43) also showed reduced concentrations relative to FRE and MrMRE (= 0.006). A multivariable linear regression model obtained using data from 75/91 dogs, revealed that fructosamine and phosphorus were positively associated with 25(OH)D status, while increased c-reactive protein was associated with a lower 25(OH)D. CONCLUSION: In CE dogs, 25(OH)D is negatively affected by inflammation and reflects the severity of clinical characteristics and serum protein-related biomarkers.