Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Anaemia in 180 cats - causes and survival rates
By Korman, Rachel M et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2013·School of Veterinary Sciences, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: A retrospective study of 180 anaemic cats: features, aetiologies and survival data.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 180 cats with anemia (low red blood cell count) was studied to understand the causes and survival rates. The cats showed varying degrees of anemia, with some having mild symptoms while others were very severe. Most cases were linked to bone marrow problems, but infections were also common. About 62% of the cats survived their treatment, with those suffering from immune-mediated diseases and younger cats having better chances of recovery. Treatment varied based on the underlying cause, and the study highlighted the importance of identifying the specific reason for anemia in order to improve outcomes.
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Abstract
The study comprised 180 anaemic cats. Descriptive and survival data were obtained. Cats were classified by aetiology of anaemia development and degenerative, anomalous, metabolic, miscellaneous, neoplastic, infectious, inflammatory, immune-mediated, toxic, traumatic or vascular disease (DAMNITV) classification and anaemia severity. Sixty-four (35.6%) cats had mild [packed cell volume (PCV)/haematocrit (HCT) 20-24.9%], 58 (32.2%) moderate (14-19.9%), 23 (12.8%) severe (11-13.9%) and 35 (19.4%) very severe (<10.9%) anaemia. By aetiology of anaemia development, bone marrow (BM) abnormalities were more common (95, 52.8%) than haemorrhage (37, 20.6%) or haemolysis (19, 10.6%). By DAMNITV classification, infectious diseases were more common (39, 21.7%) than neoplasia (36, 20%), metabolic (21, 11.7%), trauma (15, 8.3%), miscellaneous (14, 7.8%), inflammatory (11, 6.1%), immune-mediated (11, 6.1%), anomalous (8, 4.4%), toxic (2, 1.1%) or vascular disease (1, 0.6%). BM abnormalities were significantly associated with more severe anaemia (P = 0.003). Most cats (112, 62.2%) survived to discharge whereas 55 (30.6%) were euthanased and 13 (7.2%) died. Survival to discharge was not associated with anaemia severity but was associated significantly with aetiology of anaemia development (P = 0.046), as cats with haemolysis were more likely to survive to discharge than cats with BM abnormalities. Survival to discharge was also associated significantly with DAMNITV classification (P = 0.010), with cats with neoplasia being less likely, and cats with immune-mediated disease more likely, to survive to discharge. Cox regression analysis found that survival was not associated with anaemia severity, but was associated with DAMNITV classification (P = 0.011) and age (P = 0.082), with cats with immune-mediated disease and younger cats more likely to survive.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22989560/