Preliminary investigation of serum cardiac troponin I in dogs with acute ischaemic stroke by Rita Gonçalves and colleagues at the University of Liverpool
Serum cardiac troponin I levels were elevated in dogs with acute ischaemic stroke, although they had no prognostic value in this preliminary study.
Cerebrovascular disease is a common cause of acute neurological dysfunction in dogs but no prognostic biomarkers have yet been identified. Cardiac troponins are routinely used as biomarkers for the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction in humans, and increased troponin concentrations have been detected in both congenital and acquired heart diseases of dogs.
This prospective study of 18 dogs with acute ischaemic stroke diagnosed by brain MRI detected increased cardiac troponin I levels in 17 (94%). A significant association was found between cardiac troponin I and creatinine concentrations, but no difference in cardiac troponin I concentrations was seen between dogs that experienced good and poor outcomes.
