Abstract
Corticosteroids are drugs widely used in veterinary neurology due to their recognized analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects. However, their use in high doses and long terms may result in undesirable effects and disorders in other systems. This study describes the prevalence of dogs with neurological diseases referred to a veterinary neurology reference service with previous prescription of corticosteroids. For the retrospective study 284 medical records of dogs were evaluated in the period between August 2017 and April 2019. Of these, 194 (68%) patients already had medical care by another veterinary, and, 100 (52%) had previous prescription for the corticosteroid use. After the diagnosis, the dose was suspended in 28% of the cases, adjusted in 41% and maintained in 31%. Dogs with immunosuppressive doses prescription were the most affected, and the medication was adjusted or suspended in 71% and 21% of the cases, respectively. In conclusion, the therapy for neurological diseases is still strongly associated with the indiscriminate use of corticosteroids, without a dose correlation with the desired effect.
Highlights
Steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, known as corticosteroids, are commonly used in veterinary medicine to treat neuropathies due to their anti-inflammatory, immunosuppressive and analgesic efficacy (Platt et al, 2005; Jeffery, 2014)
After the diagnosis by the Neurology Service a decision was made as to whether to suspend the medication, readjust the dosage to anti-inflammatory or immunosuppressive doses or maintain it following the recommendations found in the literature
The Corticosteroid Randomization After Significant Head Injury (CRASH) study demonstrated that the use of high doses of methylprednisolone in humans with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) were associated with increased mortality, and did not show any clinical benefit (Roberts et al, 2004; Edwards et al, 2005); steroidal therapy is not recommended for humans with TBI (Hoshide et al, 2016; Carney et al, 2017)
Summary
Steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, known as corticosteroids, are commonly used in veterinary medicine to treat neuropathies due to their anti-inflammatory, immunosuppressive and analgesic efficacy (Platt et al, 2005; Jeffery, 2014). Recent studies with dogs have shown that corticosteroid therapy alone can induce behavioral and cognitive changes (Notari et al, 2015; Notari et al, 2016). Such changes can mask symptoms and findings in complementary tests, as determining an inconclusive CSF cytology, for example, making some diagnoses difficult (Platt et al, 2005; Jeffery, 2014). This study discusses the use of corticosteroids for neurologic disorders prescribed by veterinarians for dogs that were referred to the Veterinary Hospital of the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ)
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