Prognostic Efficacy of Complete Blood Count Indices for Assessing the Presence and the Progression of Myxomatous Mitral Valve Disease in Dogs

Abstract

This study investigated the complete blood count (CBC) indices, including neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) and analyzed their correlation with conventional biomarkers, as well as the effect of CBC indices on survival time in dogs with MMVD. Medical records of 75 healthy controls and 249 dogs with MMVD from March 2015 to October 2022 were analyzed. The NLR, MLR, and PLR were calculated by dividing the absolute counts of the CBC parameters. Dogs with MMVD had significantly higher NLR, MLR, and PLR than healthy dogs (all p < 0.0001), especially those in the symptomatic MMVD group with pulmonary edema (p < 0.0001, p = 0.0002, and p = 0.0387, respectively). The NLR and MLR were significantly correlated with N-terminal pro-B type natriuretic peptide levels (both p < 0.0001). The CBC indices showed potential as biomarkers for detecting the presence of MMVD (all p < 0.0001) and severity of MMVD (p < 0.0001, p < 0.0001, and p = 0.006, respectively) using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. The negative effects of increased NLR, MLR, and PLR on survival were confirmed using Kaplan–Meier curve analysis. In conclusion, NLR, MLR, and PLR could be cost-effective and readily available potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for MMVD in dogs.

Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and red blood cell distribution width to platelet ratio and their relationships with inflammatory and antioxidant status in dogs with different stages of heart failure

“…In this study, correlations showed the presence of relationships between CBC indices, particularly NLR and RDW/PLT ratio, and serum levels of proin ammatory and anti-oxidant markers. Thus, NLR and RDW/PLT may be associated with end-stage HF, due to their potential roles in cellular immune and in ammatory mechanisms in development and progression of MMVD in dogs (Jung and Kim 2023). This observation could be supported by our previous ndings including those in ammatory chemokines (KC-Like, and MCP-1, etc.)…”

“…The dogs were staged according to the ACVIM classi cation of HF (Keene et al 2019;Atkins et al 2009); stage A (healthy/controls, n = 8), stage B2 (n = 6), stage C (n = 10), and stage D (n = 5). Criteria used for classifying groups and some of the clinical data (physical, hematological and serum biochemistry examinations and cardiac imaging ndings) were already detailed in our (Rubio et al 2020;Saril et al 2022) and other previously published papers (DeProspera et al 2023; Jung et al 2023). Brie y, MMVD B2 was de ned when a dog did not show clinical signs relating to cardiopulmonary disease, in conjunctive with structural remodeling of the heart meaning the presence of cardiomegaly radiographically, and echocardiographic evidence of left atrial and/or left ventricular dilatation.…”