Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Causes and signs of fluid around the lungs in cats
By M. D. Ruiz et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2018·View original on Semantic Scholar →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Characterization of and factors associated with causes of pleural effusion in cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 380 cats diagnosed with pleural effusion (fluid in the chest) was studied to find out what caused this condition. The most common cause was congestive heart failure, followed by cancer. Many of these cats had a poor prognosis, with nearly 23% not surviving to leave the hospital. Notably, younger cats were more likely to have pleural effusion due to trauma or infections. If your cat shows signs like difficulty breathing or lethargy, it's important to see a vet quickly, as early diagnosis can be crucial.
People also search for: cat breathing problems · pleural effusion causes in cats · congestive heart failure in cats · cat cancer symptoms · cat treatment for fluid in chest
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To characterize and investigate potential associations between causes of pleural effusion and various clinical factors in a large cohort of affected cats. DESIGN Retrospective case series with nested cross-sectional study. ANIMALS 380 client-owned cats with a diagnosis of pleural effusion from January 1, 2009, through July 14, 2014, for which the cause of pleural effusion had been fully investigated. PROCEDURES Electronic medical records were reviewed and data collected regarding cat characteristics, clinical signs, cause of pleural effusion, treatment, and survival status at discharge from the hospital. Variables were examined for associations with causes of pleural effusion. RESULTS 87 (22.9%) cats died or were euthanized before discharge from the hospital. Congestive heart failure (CHF) was the most common cause (155 [40.8%]) of pleural effusion, followed by neoplasia (98 [25.8%]). Other causes included pyothorax, idiopathic chylothorax, trauma, feline infectious peritonitis, and nontraumatic diaphragmatic hernia. Cats with trauma or feline infectious peritonitis were significantly younger than those with CHF or neoplasia. Cats with lymphoma were significantly younger than those with carcinoma. Cats with CHF had a significantly lower rectal temperature at hospital admission (mean ± SD, 36.9 ± 1.2°C [98.4 ± 2.2°F]) than did cats with pleural effusion from other causes (37.9 ± 1.2°C [100.2 ± 2.2°F]). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Cats with pleural effusion in this study had a poor prognosis; CHF and neoplasia were common causes. Age and hypothermia may be helpful to raise the index of suspicion for certain underlying causes of pleural effusion in cats.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on Semantic Scholar: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/29963947