The use of danazol in the therapy of immune-mediated disease of dogs

Influence of drug treatment on survival of dogs with immune-mediated hemolytic anemia: 88 cases (1989–1999)

“…Danazol, a synthetic androgen, appears to reduce RBC osmotic fragility 21 and has beneficial effects in humans with IMHA such as increasing serum antithrombin III concentrations. 22 Results of a previous study indicate that the use of danazol for treatment of IMHA in dogs provides no benefit with respect to reduction of mortality. a Results of our study were similar, with no significant difference in probability of survival to discharge between dogs that received danazol and those that did not.…”

Development of hepatocellular carcinoma after long-term immunosuppressive therapy including danazol in a dog

“…Many reports have documented the effectiveness of danazol in treating several immune-mediated diseases in humans [5, 10]. However, such reports are limited in veterinary medicine [12, 18], and hence, its utility remains unclear. In humans, danazol has been shown to have adverse effects, such as reversible liver damage and virilization [4, 5].…”

“…Although there have been some reports on the use of danazol for immunosuppressive therapy in dogs, its effect is not clear [12]. In humans, danazol has been shown to exert an immunosuppressive effect in vitro mediated by the inhibition of lymphocyte proliferation and lowering of IL-1 and TNF-α levels [13].…”

Evaluation of prognostic factors, survival rates, and treatment protocols for immune-mediated hemolytic anemia in dogs: 151 cases (1993–2002)

“…Although treatment with glucocorticoid drugs remains the mainstay of management of this disease, augmentation of glucocorticoid monotherapy with other immunosuppressive agents has been reported to improve acute and long-term control of the disease. 3,[9][10][11][12][13][14] Pharmaceutical agents used in combination with glucocorticoids include azathioprine, cyclophosphamide, cyclosporine, mycophenolate mofetil, leflunomide, danazol, and high-dose human immunoglobulin. Although results of other retrospective studies 3,9 have suggested that addition of azathioprine to a treatment protocol is associated with improved patient response and survival, the long-term outcome has been determined in only a small number of dogs.…”