The Impact of Demographic, Social, and Environmental Factors on the Development of Steroid‐Responsive Meningitis‐Arteritis (SRMA) in the United Kingdom

Abstract

BackgroundSteroid‐responsive meningitis‐arteritis (SRMA) is an inflammatory disease of dogs that is suspected to be immune‐mediated. The development of other immune‐mediated diseases has been linked to vaccinations, time of the year, geographic location, sex, neuter status, and breed.Hypothesis/ObjectivesTo identify if the development of SRMA is associated with time of year, vaccination, geographic location, sex, neuter status, and breed.AnimalsSixty SRMA cases and 180 controls, all ≤24 months of age and matched for year of presentation, from a referral hospital population in the United Kingdom.MethodsRetrospective case‐control study with unconditional logistic regression analysis.ResultsBeagles (P = .001), Border Collies (P = .001), Boxers (P = .032), Jack Russell Terriers (P = .001), Weimaraners (P = .048), and Whippets (P < .001) had significantly greater odds of developing SRMA in this population of dogs. Vaccination, time of year, geographic category, sex, and neuter status did not increase the odds of developing SRMA.Conclusions and Clinical ImportanceOnly breed increased the odds of developing SRMA. It would be prudent to investigate the genetics of the identified breeds to help elucidate the etiopathogenesis of SRMA.

An exploratory study into factors influencing development of acute canine polyradiculoneuritis in the UK

“…, Rose et al . ). Although ACPRN was first described in coonhounds, hence the name “coonhound paralysis”, no other breed predisposition has been described in the literature.…”

“…Breed has been associated with multiple immune-mediated conditions in dogs (Cordy & Holliday 1989, Hughes et al . 2007, Rose et al . 2014.…”

Clinical characteristics, breed differences, and quality of life in North American dogs with acute steroid‐responsive meningitis‐arteritis

“…Most studies of SRMA have originated from Europe. The clinical characteristics, diagnostic findings, and response to treatment have been described . However, there are few reports on SRMA in North America, and any potential geographical differences in the disease have not been explored.…”

“…The clinical characteristics, diagnostic findings, and response to treatment have been described. [1][2][3][4][5]7,14 However, there are few reports on SRMA in North America, and any potential geographical differences in the disease have not been explored. In addition, there are characteristics of the disorder that warrant further investigation, including the influence of breed on disease severity and clinical course, and the impact of the disorder on quality of life (QoL).…”

Intracerebral haemorrhage in a dog with steroid‐responsive meningitis arteritis

“…There is no definitive ante-mortem diagnostic test for SRMA, and current diagnosis is based on clinical signs, laboratory findings and exclusion of other diseases (Tipold and Jaggy 1994). Signalment, clinical signs (excluding the episode of collapse), CSF analysis results and response to treatment in our dog were characteristic of SRMA (Cizinauskas and others 2000, Tipold and Schatzberg 2010, Lowrie and others 2012, Rose and Harcourt-Brown 2013, Rose and others 2014). The clinical response to treatment with steroids, the absorption of the intracerebral haemorrhage and the mediastinal mass and the lack of more clinically significant haemorrhages during the follow-up period, support the possible relationship of the intracerebral haemorrhage and the mediastinal mass with SRMA.…”