RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ATRIAL-FIBRILLATION AND PRIMARY HYPOTHYROIDISM IN THE DOG

Atrial fibrillation (AF) and primary hypothyroidism are most often dia gnosed in middle-aged and older dogs of large and giant breeds. We hyp othesized that the frequency of primary hypothyroidism may be higher i n dogs with AF than in those without AF. Two groups were investigated. Group 1 (March 1987 June 1990) consisted of 128 dogs with AF. A thyro id-stimulating hormone (TSH) stimulation test was performed in dogs wi th a low voltage on the ECG and low uptake of pertechnetate on a thyro id scan. Group 2 (July 1990 July 1991) consisted of both dogs with AF (n = 38) and control dogs (n = 235) in which plasma thyroxine (T4) was measured. If T4 was below 15 nmol/l, a TSH stimulation test was perfo rmed. The frequencies of primary hypothyroidism in group 1 (8/128) and in the group 2 AF dogs (3/38) were not different, but were higher tha n in the control animals (3/235)(P < 0.05). The group 1 and the group 2 AF dogs were found to be comparable, and pooling of the data of the two groups enhanced the significance of the frequency of primary hy; p othyroidism in dogs with AF versus the control animals (11/166 versus 3/235) (P < 0.01). We conluded that the frequency of primary hypothyro idism in dogs with AF is higher than in the group of control dogs with out AF. This may be due to the additional cardiovascular changes accom panying primary hypothyroidism in dogs that already have heart disease .