Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Rib fractures in 33 cats from trauma and other causes
By Adams, Christine et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary emergency and critical care (San Antonio, Tex. : 2001)·2010·Eastern Iowa Specialty Center, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Cause and clinical characteristics of rib fractures in cats: 33 cases (2000-2009).
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 7-year-old domestic shorthair cat was found to have rib fractures, which can happen either from trauma or other health issues. In this study, researchers looked at 33 cats with rib fractures and found that older cats often had fractures without any obvious injury, usually linked to respiratory diseases or other serious health problems. In contrast, younger cats typically had fractures from accidents or trauma. The findings suggest that if a cat has rib fractures, it might be due to an underlying health issue rather than just an injury. Treatment would depend on the specific cause of the fractures.
People also search for: cat rib fractures causes · why does my cat have rib pain · cat respiratory disease symptoms · nontraumatic rib fractures in cats
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To characterize the clinical features and population differences among cats sustaining traumatic and nontraumatic rib fractures. DESIGN: Retrospective clinical study. SETTING: University small animal hospital. ANIMALS: Thirty-three cats with radiographic evidence of rib fractures. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Cats with rib fractures were identified by performing a computer search of the radiology database. Thirty-three cats that sustained rib fractures were identified between January 2000 and September 2009. Seventeen cats had fractures due to trauma and 16 were deemed to occur from nontraumatic causes. A Mann-Whitney rank-sum test revealed statistically significant differences in the median ages between the 2 groups. Older cats were more likely to sustain rib fractures as a result of a presumed nontraumatic causes. A Chi-square analysis showed that nontraumatic fractures occurred significantly more often in the midbody region and involved the 9th-13th ribs. The majority of cats with presumed nontraumatic rib fracture had respiratory disease; the remaining cats had chronic renal disease or neoplasia. Cats with traumatic rib fractures had external signs of trauma. CONCLUSION: Rib fractures in cats may be clearly associated with trauma, or may be an incidental finding in cats with comorbidities. Cats with diseases that cause prolonged respiratory effort or coughing, metabolic diseases, or certain neoplasms, are at increased risk of spontaneous nontraumatic rib fractures.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20731810/