Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Heart disease findings in 252 cats after unexpected or expected death
By Wilkie, L J et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary cardiology : the official journal of the European Society of Veterinary Cardiology·2015·Department of Clinical Sciences and Services, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Cardiac pathology findings in 252 cats presented for necropsy; a comparison of cats with unexpected death versus other deaths.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 252 cats that died unexpectedly underwent necropsy to determine the cause of death. The study found that many of these cats had heart disease, particularly hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which was present in 78% of those with cardiac issues. This condition can lead to serious heart problems and was more common in cats that died unexpectedly compared to those that died from other causes. The findings suggest that heart disease is a significant factor in unexpected cat deaths, highlighting the importance of regular veterinary check-ups to catch potential heart issues early.
People also search for: cat unexpected death causes · hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in cats · signs of heart disease in cats
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To report necropsy and myocardial histopathology in cats with unexpected death and expected death/euthanasia, comparing findings in 4 groups of cats: unexpected death with noncardiac disease (UD-NC); unexpected death with cardiac disease (UD-C); expected death/euthanasia due to noncardiac disease with incidental cardiac disease (OD + HD); and expected death/euthanasia due to congestive heart failure (CHF). ANIMALS: Two hundred fifty-two cats undergoing necropsy at a single centre. METHODS: Signalment, history, body weight, heart weight and myocardial thickness were obtained from medical records. Cardiac histopathology slides were reviewed blindly by a single observer. Data were analysed using a Chi squared, Fisher's exact, Kruskal-Wallis tests or ANOVA as appropriate. RESULTS: Death at a veterinary clinic and suspected poisoning were the most common reasons for necropsy in 158 cats with an unexpected death. No cause other than cardiac disease was found in 87/158 (55.1%), with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy identified in 68/87 (78%) of UD-C cats. Expected deaths or euthanasia occurred in 27 cats with CHF and 67 cats with concurrent heart disease (OD + HD). Myofiber disarray, interstitial fibrosis, subendocardial fibrosis and intramural arteriolosclerosis were more prevalent in UD-C cats than in UD-NC cats, and subendocardial fibrosis and arteriolosclerosis were more prevalent in UD-C cats than in CHF and OD + HD cats. CONCLUSIONS: Cardiac disease, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in particular, was commonly present in cats that died unexpectedly in this study population. Subendocardial fibrosis and intramural arteriolosclerosis were more common in cats with unexpected death with cardiac disease than in other cats.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26776590/