Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Signs and progression of pyruvate kinase deficiency in Abyssinian
By Kohn, Barbara & Fumi, Christine·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2008·Clinic for Small Animals, Germany·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Clinical course of pyruvate kinase deficiency in Abyssinian and Somali cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of Abyssinian and Somali cats with a condition called pyruvate kinase deficiency were studied to understand their symptoms and health over time. While some cats showed no signs of illness, others experienced symptoms like lethargy, diarrhea, pale gums, and weight loss. Many of the affected cats had laboratory findings such as anemia and elevated liver enzymes. Unfortunately, a few of these cats did not survive due to complications from the disease. The study highlights the importance of testing for this condition before breeding, as some cats can appear healthy despite having the deficiency.
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Abstract
The objective of this study was to examine clinical signs, laboratory parameters, and course of disease in Abyssinian and Somali cats with pyruvate kinase (PK) deficiency. The clinical course of 25 PK-deficient cats was followed over a time period of 0.8-11.3 years (median 4.3). Eleven cats (age 0.8-7.8 years, median 4.4) did not show signs according to the owners. In 14 cats (age 0.1-5 years, median 1.7) the owners noted lethargy (10), diarrhoea (seven), pale mucous membranes (six), inappetence (six), poor coat quality (six), weight loss (four), icterus (four), and pica (two). Sixteen cats had been used for breeding at least once before diagnosis. Laboratory abnormalities included anaemia (70%), increased aggregated reticulocyte counts (94%), hyperglobulinaemia (80%), hyperbilirubinaemia (53%), and increased liver enzymes (47%). Six of 25 affected cats died (four) or were euthanased (two) at ages ranging from 1.3 to 11.3 years (median 4.1) presumably because of PK-deficiency. These findings emphasise that PK deficiency shows variation in age of onset and severity of signs. As PK-deficient cats can be asymptomatic testing for PK deficiency before breeding is strongly recommended.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18077199/