A combination of clinical and laboratory markers can be used as a tool to differentiate between primary and secondary immune thrombocytopenia in dogs.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the discriminatory potential of selected clinical and routine laboratory markers to differentiate primary immune thrombocytopenia (pITP) and secondary immune thrombocytopenia (sITP) in dogs.

METHODS

A retrospective diagnostic accuracy study including dogs with severe immune thrombocytopenia (platelet count [PLT] < 50 X 109/L) presenting between 2014 and 2024 to a single university veterinary hospital, which were identified by laboratory database search and subsequent review of medical records.

RESULTS

The study included 17 dogs with pITP and 36 with sITP. Dogs with pITP had significantly lower PLT (median, 8 X 109/L [IQR, 3 to 21]) and C-reactive protein (CRP; median, 20.5 mg/L [IQR, 6.4 to 76.6]) compared to dogs with sITP (PLT median, 25 X 109/L [IQR, 13 to 35] and CRP median, 72.7 mg/L [IQR, 37.3 to 137.3]) and were significantly more likely to present with bleeding diathesis. The combination of bleeding diathesis, PLT < 8.5 X 109/L, and CRP < 25 mg/L had a positive likelihood ratio of 8.8 for pITP.

CONCLUSIONS

The combination of bleeding diathesis, PLT, and CRP concentration shows potential for differentiating between dogs with pITP and sITP.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Differentiating between pITP and sITP is imperative, as treatment is widely different. The results of the current study could potentially be used to help guide clinical decision-making.