Serum cardiac troponin I in dogs with primary immune-mediated haemolytic anaemia

Methods: Serum cardiac troponin I concentrations were measured in 11 healthy dogs, 27 dogs with primary haemolytic anaemia and 49 hospitalised dogs without primary cardiac or haematological disorders. Results: Dogs with primary haemolytic anaemia have higher serum concentrations of cardiac troponin I than hospitalised ill dogs (P < 0.005) and healthy dogs (P < 0.01). Using a cut-off of less than 0.1 ng/mL, 20 of 27 dogs with primary haemolytic anaemia had increased serum cardiac troponin I concentrations, which was a significantly higher proportion compared to the hospitalised ill dogs (P < 0.001, 16 out of 49 dogs) and healthy dogs (P < 0.05, 3 out of 11 dogs). Clinical Significance: Dogs with primary haemolytic anaemia have a higher incidence of subclinical myocyte damage than healthy dogs or dogs with non-haematological or primary cardiac illnesses. The prognostic significance of increased serum cardiac troponin I concentrations in dogs with primary haemolytic anaemia merits further investigation