Canine idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
The canine idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a disease of the interstitial tissue ( interstitial ) of the lungs , which (without apparent cause idopathisch ) arises. It occurs mainly in middle-aged and old animals and more frequently in some terrier breeds ( West Highland White Terrier , Staffordshire Bull Terrier , Scottish Terrier ). In the pathology it corresponds to the cryptogenic organizing pneumonia in humans.
Clinical picture
Clinically, the disease manifests itself in progressive shortness of breath , which mainly occurs when inhaling . The respiratory rate is increased (tachypnea), the mucous membrane turns blue ( cyanosis ) and the urge to move is increasingly reduced. In the advanced stage, the shortness of breath is pronounced even at rest and the dog breathes with its mouth wide open. Coughing is common, especially in the early stages of the disease. Symptoms are increased in overweight animals. Secondary, pulmonary hypertension ( pulmonary hypertension ) and thickening of the right ventricle (right heart hypertrophy ) can occur.
When listening to the lungs ( auscultation ), clear crackling noises can be heard. The x-ray shows a compression of the lung tissue with a clearly protruding drawing of the bronchi. The lungs appear smaller and the windpipe dilated.
The diagnosis must be made clinically only as suspected. High -resolution computed tomography ( High Resolution CT ) can determine the disease with a high degree of certainty, but is hardly available in veterinary medicine. A confirmation can therefore only be made with a lung biopsy and a subsequent pathological examination, whereby the lung biopsy is not without risk.
The differential diagnosis is a must chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and heart failure are excluded.
treatment
As the cause is unknown, causal therapy is not possible. In the case of very overweight animals, a significant improvement in symptoms is achieved through weight reduction. Previous attempts at therapy with anti-inflammatory drugs and drugs that suppress the immune system ( prednisolone , cyclophosphamide , azathioprine ) have in some cases led to an improvement in the clinical picture. Here, however, treatment failures and sometimes significant side effects are to be expected.
literature
- Cecile Clercx: Interstitial Lung Diseases, Pulmonary Fibrosis . In: Peter F. Suter and Hans G. Nobody (eds.): Internship at the dog clinic . Paul-Parey-Verlag, 10th edition 2006, pp. 497-498. ISBN 3-8304-4141-X
Individual evidence
- ^ BM Corcoran et al .: Chronic pulmonary disease in West Highland white terriers. Vet Rec. 1999 May 29; 144 (22): 611-616. PMID 16119057
