Background: Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is considered a predominantly inherited disease in dogs. Recent reports suggest an increased incidence of DCM in atypical breeds eating grain-free and/or legume-rich diets. However, little data regarding incidence of DCM within the US is available; and no existing data quantifies DCM among breeds over time. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that DCM incidence among breeds could be estimated by retrospective polling of veterinary cardiologists. Further, if a correlation existed between grain-free diets and DCM, an increase in DCM would be on trend with increased grain-free pet food sales. Materials and Methods: Thirty-six U.S. cardiology specialty practices were asked for all initial canine and DCM cases evaluated from 2000-2019; fourteen cardiology practices participated. DCM signalment data was provided by three hospitals over 15 years; representing 68 breeds. Age distribution of DCM cases upon diagnosis were compared to other cardio cases and general hospital population from one hospital. All data were evaluated using linear regression models. Grain-free pet food sales data was evaluated from 2011-2019. Results: Fourteen hospitals participated and reported 67,243 unique canine patients. Nationally, data did not support a significant change in percent DCM over time (p=0.85). The overall average incidence rate of DCM during the study period was 3.83% (range 2.41-5.65%), while grain-free diet sales increased 500% from 2011- 2019. No correlation between overall DCM incidence and grain free diet sales was discovered. A significant upward trend in mixed breeds diagnosed with DCM, with no significant trend in other breeds was appreciated. An upward trend in age at DCM diagnosis was identified, correlating with trends from overall hospital populations. Conclusions: These data do not support overall increased DCM incidence, or a correlation with grain-free pet food sales. Additional data are necessary to understand whether regional factors contribute to increased DCM within smaller cohorts.

中文翻译：

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一项回顾性调查：2000年至2019年美国犬类扩张型心肌病的发病率，品种和年龄分布以及无谷物饮食的销售情况。

背景：扩张型心肌病（DCM）被认为是犬的主要遗传病。最近的报告表明，在食用无谷物和/或富含豆类的饮食的非典型品种中，DCM的发病率增加。但是，关于美国DCM发生率的数据很少。而且没有现有的数据可以对不同时期的DCM进行量化。假设：我们假设，可以通过对兽医心脏病专家进行回顾性调查来估计品种之间的DCM发生率。此外，如果无谷物饮食与DCM之间存在相关性，则随着无谷物宠物食品销量的增加，DCM的增长趋势将会出现。材料和方法：要求对36例美国心脏病专科医师进行2000-2019年评估的所有初始犬和DCM病例；参加了十四次心脏病学实践。DCM信号数据由15家医院中的三家提供。代表68个品种 将诊断出的DCM病例的年龄分布与其他心脏病例和一家医院的综合医院人口进行比较。使用线性回归模型评估所有数据。评估了2011-2019年无谷物宠物食品的销售数据。结果：14家医院参加了此次活动，并报告了67243名独特的犬科患者。在全国范围内，数据不支持DCM百分比随时间的显着变化（p = 0.85）。在研究期间，DCM的总体平均发生率为3.83％（范围为2.41-5.65％），而无谷物饮食的销售从2011-2019年增加了500％。未发现DCM总体发生率与无谷物饮食的销售之间存在相关性。诊断为DCM的混合品种呈显着上升趋势，在其他品种中没有明显的趋势受到赞赏。确定了DCM诊断时年龄的上升趋势，与总体医院人群的趋势相关。结论：这些数据不支持DCM总体上增加的发病率，也不支持无谷物宠物食品的销售。需要额外的数据来了解区域因素是否在较小的队列中促进DCM的增加。