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Introduction: Frailty is a well-defined clinical syndrome in humans caused by accumulation of impairments which result in loss of reserve capacity and increased vulnerability to disability, dependence, and death. Dogs are of particular interest in studies of frailty due to the similarities they share with people in their environment, lifestyles, and age-related diseases. Materials and methods: The aim of this study was to develop a frailty phenotype screening tool, based on previously validated measures in dogs, which could be easily applied in the clinical setting, and which was predictive of all-cause, short term (6-month) mortality. The study was conducted in two phases. In phase 1, a retrospective cohort of 51 dogs was used to identify and evaluate potential measures for the five domains of frailty. This information was then used to develop a simple frailty phenotype based on examination findings and owner directed questions. In phase 2 of the study, this phenotype was evaluated in a prospective cohort of 198 dogs aged 9 years or older from multiple different specialty and primary care services to determine how the phenotype performed across a diverse canine population. Results: The developed frailty phenotype was predictive of all-cause, short-term mortality independent of age, sex, or weight (hazard ratio = 4.71; 95% CI, 2.66-8.8). Of the covariates evaluated only breed was significant, with purebred dogs having 1.85 times higher mortality than mixed breed dogs (95% CI, 1.04-3.31). The frailty phenotype performed similarly across all hospital services from which patients were enrolled. Conclusion: Based on these findings, the defined frailty phenotype represents a valuable screening tool for early risk identification and intervention, and can aid in clinical decision making for owners and veterinarians. Additionally, it will promote further research into the understanding and treatment of frailty in dogs.
RESUMO
Lymphocyte immunophenotyping can be useful for evaluating immune competence and predicting the disease prognosis. It is essential to gain knowledge about canine lymphocyte immunophenotypes in various conditions. The study deals with the characteristics of lymphopenia in dogs, with an emphasis on lymphocyte immunophenotyping by flow cytometry. Blood samples from 44 dogs with lymphopenia were included in the study. All lymphopenias sent from veterinary clinics to the diagnostic laboratory were analyzed. The hematological and biochemical abnormalities were investigated, as well as the effect of the age. Lymphopenias were classified according to the level of C-reactive protein (CRP). The percentage of T cells, B cells, Th cells and Tc cells, and T/B and Th/Tc ratios were determined by flow cytometry. Lymphopenias often occurred in dogs over 7 years of age (79.5 %). The most common were postoperative lymphopenia (31.8 %) and inflammatory diseases (29.5 %), most commonly affecting the gastrointestinal tract. Frequent abnormalities were monocytosis (56.8 %), increased CRP (72.7 %) and decreased albumin/globulin ratio (50.0 %). The percentage of Th lymphocytes was significantly lower in the group with elevated CRP than in the group with basal CRP (P = 0.0329). A negative correlation was found between the level of CRP and the percentage of Th lymphocytes (r = -0.3278, P = 0.0390). This study provided new insights into the appearance, incidence and classification of canine lymphopenia.