Ipotiroidismo canino: Assenza di correlazione fra aspetti clinici e alterazioni clinico-patologiche

Introduction-The diagnosis of canine hypotlyroidism is often challenging, and it relies upon a combined interpretation of the clinical condition, the clinicopathological data and hormonal tests. There are no previous studies in literature that compare the seve-rity of the clinical condition with the clinicopathological data of this disease. A previous study involving a group of dogs with expe-rimentally-induced-hypothyroidism showed a progressive reduction in time of thyrotropin (cTSH) serum concentration. These dogs, in the following months and years after the induction of the disease, developed the typical clinical condition and clinicopathological alterations. It is therefore possible that dogs affected by Irypotbyroidism for a longer period of time present a normal cTSH serum con-centration associated with a more severe clinical condition and clinicopathological data related to this endocrine disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between the severity of the clinical condition of hypothyroid dogs and clinicopathological data in a population of dogs with spontaneous hypothyroidism. Material and methods-The patients were subsequently divided into two groups, on the basis of a clinical score (dogs with few clinical signs VS dogs with many clinical signs) and two more groups on the basis of the cTSH serum concentration (within the reference interval VS above the reference interval). The clinical score, the clinicopathological data and the specific hormonal tests were subsequently compared between the different groups. Results-The results of this study did not show any significant difference regarding clinicopathological results, specific hormonal tests and clinical score between the different groups. Discussion-Based on this study, dogs with hypothyroidism and a normal cTSH serum concentration do not have a more severe clinical condition.