Comparative assessment of troponin t, atrial natriuretic peptide, b-type natriuretic peptide and echocardiography in the diagnosis of cardiac and renal disorders in canine

Canine cardiovascular problems are commonly seen in veterinary medicine. Cardiac abnormalities in canine can be diagnosed by various means like electrochardiography, radiography, blood pressure measurement, echocardiography and biomarkers like troponins and peptides specific for heart.

The present study was conducted to evaluate different biomarkers such as cardiac troponin T (cTnT), atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) for the diagnosis of cardiac diseases in comparison to echocardiography in canine. A total of 40 cases were included in the study, out of which 26 cases found to be positive for cardiac affections as confirmed by echocardiographic examination.

The serum concentration of cTnT and BNP were found significantly (P<0.05) elevated in dogs having cardiac as well as cardiac along with renal affections. ANP values were significantly (P<0.05) increased in dogs having both cardiac and renal diseases as compared to dogs with cardiac diseases only. Biomarkers like cTnT, ANP and BNP were compared with echocardiography (gold standard). The BNP was having the highest sensitivity (88.46%) and specificity (78.57%) as compared to cTnT and ANP. From the study, it is concluded that BNP can be used as suitable biomarker than cTnT and ANP for the diagnosis of cardiac diseases in canine. It can be used as a biomarker for cardiac diseases under field conditions where facilities for echocardiography are not available.