Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Coat color and breed risks for hyperthyroidism in older cats
By Crossley, V J et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2017·Department of Clinical Science and Services, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Breed, Coat Color, and Hair Length as Risk Factors for Hyperthyroidism in Cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A study looked at over 4,700 cats aged 10 and older to see if certain breeds, coat colors, or hair lengths affected the risk of hyperthyroidism, a common thyroid condition in older cats. It found that breeds like Burmese, Tonkinese, Persian, Siamese, Abyssinian, and British shorthair had a lower risk of developing hyperthyroidism compared to domestic shorthairs. In contrast, longhaired, non-purebred cats were at a higher risk. This information can help pet owners understand their cat's risk based on breed and coat type, but more research is needed to confirm these findings.
People also search for: hyperthyroidism in cats · cat breeds and thyroid problems · longhaired cat health risks
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Hyperthyroidism is very common in older cats, but the etiopathogenesis is poorly understood. Decreased risk of hyperthyroidism has been reported in certain colorpoint breeds, and this observation previously has been hypothesized to result from relatively greater tyrosine availability for thyroid hormone production because of limited ability to convert tyrosine to melanin pigment. However, studies investigating a potential link between coat pigmentation and risk of hyperthyroidism are limited. OBJECTIVE: To identify associations between coat phenotype and hyperthyroidism by investigation of breed, coat color, and hair length as risk factors for the disease. ANIMALS: Data were used from 4,705 cats aged ≥10 years, referred to a single veterinary teaching hospital (2006-2014) in the United Kingdom. METHODS: Retrospective, epidemiological, cross-sectional study using Bayesian multivariable logistic regression to assess risk factors for hyperthyroidism. RESULTS: Burmese (odds ratio [OR], 0.01; 0.00-0.23; P = .004), Tonkinese (OR, 0.05; 0.00-0.95; P = .046), Persian (OR, 0.21; 0.10-0.44; P < .001), Siamese (OR, 0.27; 0.12-0.61; P = .002), Abyssinian (OR, 0.04; 0.00-0.74; P = .031), and British shorthair (OR, 0.47; 0.28-0.79; P = .004) breeds had decreased risk of hyperthyroidism compared to domestic shorthairs. Longhaired, nonpurebred cats (OR, 1.30; 1.03-1.64; P = .028) were at increased risk of hyperthyroidism. Coat color/pattern was not associated with hyperthyroidism in nonpurebred cats. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: We identified decreased risk of hyperthyroidism in the Tonkinese, Abyssinian, and British shorthair breeds, identified an association between risk of hyperthyroidism and hair length, and confirmed decreased risk in Burmese, Siamese, and Persian breeds. Additional studies are warranted to further investigate these findings.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28612380/