PhD Student Royal Veterinary College St Albans, England, United Kingdom
Abstract: Background Canine diabetes mellitus (DM) is characterised by progressive beta-cell loss and eventual insulin deficiency, but mechanisms involved remain uncertain. Pancreatic inflammation might be an under-recognised contributor. Hypothesis/Objectives Evaluation of an acute pancreatic inflammatory marker (1,2-o-dilauryl-rac-glycero-3-glutaric-acid-(6'-methylresorufin)-ester (DGGR) lipase) in archived canine DM sera will reveal evidence of pancreatic inflammation in some dogs. Animals Sera from 280 diabetic dogs, archived at -25C (November 2009 - January 2019), with owner consent. Diabetic dogs were selected and grouped using hierarchical criteria related to potential pancreatitis risk: pancreatitis history (n=29), diagnosed with DM < 7 days (n=16), pure-breed with known pancreatitis risk (n=137), cross-breed with no reported history of pancreatitis (n=98). Dogs with diagnosis of Cushing’s syndrome or prednisolone usage were excluded. Methods Retrospective cohort study; DGGR lipase was measured by a colorimetric method (Reference range 5.6-90U/L). Results Elevated DGGR lipase was documented in 55 dogs (19.6%) (Figure 1). Although the highest proportion of positive cases was observed in the recently-diagnosed group, there were no statistical differences among groups: n=4/29 (13.8%) dogs with pancreatitis history, n=6/16 (37.5%) DM < 7 days, n=24/137 (17.5%) pancreatitis risk-breed, and n=21/98 (21.4%) cross-breed. There was no correlation between DGGR lipase and fructosamine or sample archive date. Conclusions and clinical importance Elevations in DGGR lipase can be detected in diabetic dogs with no history or known risk factors for pancreatitis. This might represent active causal or consequential pancreatic inflammation. Evaluation for pancreatic inflammatory markers should be considered in all canine DM patients, particularly around the time of diagnosis.