![]() Similar causes of death are observed in IMR patients, however the patients with the history of the cancer, usually die as a result of the cancer progression. Based on our data, the most frequent cause of death in SARDS patients are pancreatitis, kidney failure and uncontrolled immune-mediated diseases affecting the gut, liver, brain and spinal cord. We give the maximum effort to carefully tailor medical treatment for each patient with a goal of minimizing any possible side effects, and maximally increasing the chance for the successful treatment outcome. In many patients, additional medical therapy is recommended to address possible abnormalities associated with function of different organs (kidneys, liver, endocrine glands, brain, etc.). We usually pursue systemic immunosuppressive therapy in combination with the systemic or intraocular intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) treatment with a goal of restoring some vision. A detailed evaluation of the systemic organ status is highly recommended for these patients, even if no therapy for the possible vision restoration is planned.Īre SARDs and IMR treatable diseases? – Over the last 10 years, our team had developed a completely novel diagnostic and treatment protocols for these diseases. ![]() These changes can be dangerous to the overall health of affected dogs. 2008 Mar 38(2):361-87 ReviewĪre SARDs and IMR dangerous for the general health of my pet? – SARDs and IMR are autoimmune diseases, which can frequently cause kidney damage (proteinuria, microalbuminuria, membranous glomerulonephritis), pancreatitis, low level of thyroid hormones (hypothyroidism), liver function abnormalities (elevation of liver enzymes, increased sensitivity to systemic steroid therapy), high blood pressure (systemic hypertension), pseudo-Cushing’s disease symptoms (excessive thirst and urination, excessive appetite and weight gain) and neurological symptoms (loss of vision, hearing, smell sensation, ataxia, depression, lethargy, change in mentation). Auto-antibodies may come to attack the retina from the systemic circulation, but may be also produced locally in the ocular tissues resulting in negative serology tests (image is adopted from the Grozdanic et al, Antibody-mediated retinopathies in canine patients: mechanism, diagnosis and treatment modalities. Proposed molecular mechanism of retinal damage in SARDS and IMR involves activation of T-cells, macrophages and B-cells. Cancer presence may result in the excessive immune system activation with a goal of destroying the cancer, and in some cases the immune system will recognize identical molecules in the cancer cells and retinal cells, resulting in the misguided immune attack on the eye resulting in the vision loss and ultimately blindness (cancer-associated retinopathy - CAR).įor more detailed information on the cancer-associated retinopathy you can review our presentation from the Annual AmericanCollege of Veterinary Ophthalmology Conference in 2016 Approximately 5% of IMR dogs may have an underlying cancer disease. What is IMR? – Immune Mediated Retinitis (IMR) is a disease which is in many aspects very similar or almost identical to SARDS. ![]() For more detailed information on clinical changes in SARDS and molecular mechanisms of SARDS you can read our peer reviewed article from the journal Veterinary Ophthalmology (published in 2018), which is available online for free: Clinical evidence and molecular data confirmed complex immunological mechanisms of retinal damage involving T-cells, macrophages, B-cells, activation of the retinal pigment epithelium, retinal auto-antibody production and complement activation confirming that SARDS is an immune-mediated disease, and not the disease of the unknown etiology. SARDS usually develops in middle-aged dogs (predominantly in small and middle size breeds), and many of SARDS patients have a current or previous history of different auto-immune diseases. Approximately 50% of SARDS patients can have signs of the excessive appetite, excessive drinking and urination, and weight gain. What is SARDs? – Sudden Acquired Retinal Degeneration Syndrome (SARDS) is a syndrome, which is characterized by a sudden onset of blindness in dogs.
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