Prevalence and risk factors associated with systemic hypertension in dogs with spontaneous hyperadrenocorticism

Abstract

Background: Systemic hypertension (SH) is common in dogs with hyper-adrenocorticism (HAC) however there are not many studies assessing its prevalenceand risk factors. Objectives: To determine the prevalence and severity of SH in dogs with HAC andits association with clinical and laboratory findings to identify potential risk factors. Animals: Sixty-six client owned dogs with spontaneous HAC. Methods: Retrospective cross-sectional study. Medical records of dogs with HACwere reviewed. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) was measured using Doppler ultraso-nography. Clinical signs, physical examination findings and clinicopathologic data(CBC, serum biochemistry and electrolytes, urinalysis and urinary culture, and adrenalfunction tests) were reviewed for analysis. Results: Prevalence of SH (≥150 mm Hg) was 82% (54/66) and prevalence of severeSH (≥180 mm Hg) was 46% (30/66). All dogs with thrombocytosis had SH (P = .002),and a platelet count ≥438 × 103 /μL was 100% specific and 61.1% sensitive to predictSH (AUC = .802, P = .001). Median potassium levels were lower in hypertensive dogs(4.1 mEq/L, range 3.1-5.4 mEq/L) than in normotensive ones (4.5 mEq/L, range 4.0-5.0 mEq/L) (P = .007). Dogs with UPC ≥ 0.5 had higher median SBP than those with-out proteinuria (P = .03). Dogs with concurrent diabetes mellitus seemed to have areduced risk of SH (OR = .118, 95%CI = .022-.626, P = .02). Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Systemic hypertension is common in dogs withHAC and is frequently severe. Blood pressure should be routinely assessed in these dogs,especially if thrombocytosis, proteinuria or low potassium concentrations are present.