An epidemiological study of diabetes mellitus in dogs attending first opinion practice in the UK

Abstract

Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of canine diabetes mellitus (DM) in primarycare clinics in England, to identify risk factors associated with DM and to describe the survival of affected dogs.Methods: Cases of DM were identified within the electronic patient records of 89 small-animal practices. A nested case-control study identified risk factors for the diagnosis of DM using logistic regression models. Cox proportional hazards models were used to analyse variables associated with survival.Results: Four-hundred and thirty-nine canine DM cases were identified, giving an apparent prevalence of 0.34% (95% confidence interval 0.31 -0.37%). Neutered males were at an increased risk of diabetes compared to entire males, whereas neutering was not associated with DM in females. Compared with crossbred dogs, Yorkshire terriers had increased odds, whereas German shepherd dogs and golden retrievers had lower odds of DM. Being classified as overweight and having a diagnosis of pancreatitis, hyperadrenocorticism or a urinary tract infection were positively associated with DM. Older dogs and those diagnosed with pancreatitis had a higher hazard of death, whereas insured and neutered dogs had a lower hazard.Clinical significance: This study provides an objective assessment of canine DM using primary-care veterinary practice data and is a valuable benchmark against which future epidemiological trends in DM can be assessed and improvements in the management of DM in primary-care practice can be judged.

Epidemiology of hyperadrenocorticism among 210,824 dogs attending primary‐care veterinary practices in the UK from 2009 to 2014

“…This study reports the estimated prevalence of diagnosis with canine hyperadrenocorticism in the UK as 0.28%, suggesting hyperadrenocorticism is the third most prevalent endocrinopathy of dogs behind hypothyroidism (0.87%) (Dixon et al, 1999) and diabetes mellitus (0.34%) (Mattin et al, 2014), although methodological differences between the various studies complicate direct prevalence comparisons. Despite several molecular studies that investigated its aetiopathogenesis, the exact cause of hyperadrenocorticism in most dogs remains unknown (Hanson et al, 2010, Kool et al, 2013, Teshima et al, 2009, van Rijn et al, 2010, van Wijk et al, 2014.…”

“…Despite several molecular studies that investigated its aetiopathogenesis, the exact cause of hyperadrenocorticism in most dogs remains unknown (Hanson et al, 2010, Kool et al, 2013, Teshima et al, 2009, van Rijn et al, 2010, van Wijk et al, 2014. Access to clinical health data on the large population of dogs in VetCompass offers the intriguing prospect of aetiological and epidemiological research across a range of disorders such as hyperadrenocorticism and of linking these with primary-care diagnosis and health management (Mattin et al, 2014, Kearsley-Fleet et al, 2012, Taylor-Brown et al, 2015, Mattin et al, 2015, O'Neill et al, 2013.…”

Prevalence of and Risk Factors for Degenerative Mitral Valve Disease in Dogs Attending Primary‐care Veterinary Practices in England

“…Analysis of this large data resource would allow DMVD prevalence to be estimated and major risk factors for the disease to be identified, as has been demonstrated for other disorders in companion animals 19, 20, 21…”

Study of the pathogenesis and treatment of diabetes mellitus through animal models

“…Prevalence of cDM ranges between 0.0005-1.5%, depending on both geographical regions and breeds [171,173,174,[182][183][184][185][186], suggesting gene-environment interactions. However, most epidemiological studies have been performed in northern European and North American populations [173,174,182,184,185], with specific cultural and demographic characteristics.…”

“…However, most epidemiological studies have been performed in northern European and North American populations [173,174,182,184,185], with specific cultural and demographic characteristics. …”