Protein losing enteropathies

摘要

Protein losing enteropathies (PLE) comprise a complex group of gastrointestinal (GI) diseases causing severe loss of proteins (especially albumin and similar sized proteins) from the GI tract. The clinical signs of PLE commonly include anorexia, weight loss and small bowel diarrhea. PLE is not a primary disease entity, but is secondary to a wide variety of diseases and disorders of the small bowel. The focus of this review is a discussion of the more common causes of severe GI protein loss, followedby an overview of the approach to clinical management of dogs with this condition.