Histopathological diagnosis of arteriosclerosis in dogs (Canis lupus familiaris)

Abstract

Arteriosclerosis means the hardening of the arteries due to changes in the histological structure of the vascular wall, such as muscle hypertrophy, connective tissue, calcium deposit, lipids, etc. Atherosclerosis is characterized by the formation of fibrous intimal plaques which often have a rich lipid core this disease is the most common type of Arteriosclerosis in humans and, therefore, of great importance for study. Some authors report that Arteriosclerosis is common, but of little importance, in domestic animals they also describe the dog (<em>Canis lupus familiaris</em>) as athero-resistant however, at present there are several reports presenting vascular lesions similar to those observed in humans, related to close cohabitation in their role as pets. Therefore, this study focuses on the research and description of histopathological lesions related to Arteriosclerosis in dogs, based on a retrospective study of casuistry at the Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia. After reviewing necropsy and histopathology reports, 52 cases of dogs were selected where one or more predisposing factors for the development of Arteriosclerosis were reported the histopathology slides were initially evaluated through hematoxylin and eosin staining, and photomicrographs were captured for future research. In 23 of the 52 cases different characteristics of injuries related to this disease were observed, such as translucent vacuoles, walls of hyaline appearance, muscle or connective tissue proliferation, and deposition of mineral and pigments. Additionally, in some cases, Masson’s trichrome staining was used to confirm the presence of connective and muscle tissue. Finally, hypotheses were formulated about the possible association of different factors (body condition, age, sex, race, and concurrent disease) with the presentation of these injuries.