Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Survival and heart features in 92 cats with restrictive cardiomyopathy
By Chetboul, Valérie et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2019·Alfort Cardiology Unit, France·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Clinical, epidemiological and echocardiographic features and prognostic factors in cats with restrictive cardiomyopathy: A retrospective study of 92 cases (2001-2015).
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 92 cats diagnosed with restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM) showed symptoms like difficulty breathing due to congestive heart failure. Most of these cats were around 8.6 years old, and many had significant heart enlargement. The study found that cats with severe enlargement of the left atrium had a shorter survival time, with some living as long as 3710 days after diagnosis. Unfortunately, cardiac death is common in these cases, highlighting the importance of monitoring heart health in affected cats.
People also search for: cat heart disease symptoms · restrictive cardiomyopathy in cats · cat breathing problems treatment
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM) is a common primary cardiomyopathy of cats. However, little information is available regarding prognostic variables in large populations of cats with RCM. OBJECTIVES: To characterize the epidemiological, clinical, and echocardiographic features of cats with RCM and to document their survival times and risk factors for cardiac death (CD). ANIMALS: Ninety-two cats with RCM. METHODS: Retrospective study. Diagnosis of RCM was based on echocardiographic and Doppler criteria. Median survival time to CD and adjusted hazard ratios (HR) were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method and multivariate Cox models, respectively. RESULTS: The feline population (median age [interquartile range], 8.6 years [4.1-12.4]; body weight, 4.0 kg [3.3-4.7]) included 83 cats (90%) with the myocardial RCM form and 9 (10%) with the endomyocardial fibrosis RCM form. Most RCM cats (64/92, 70%) were symptomatic at the time of diagnosis, with dyspnea related to congestive heart failure in 57 of 64 cats (89%). The median survival time of the 69 cats with the myocardial RCM form and available follow-up was 667 days (range, 2-3710 days) considering CD. Independent of age, biatrial enlargement, and arrhythmias, increase of the left atrium (LA)-to-aorta (Ao) ratio (hazard ration [HR], 2.5 per 0.5-unit increase; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.5-4.2; P < .001) and presence of severe LA enlargement (end-diastolic LA : Ao ≥2; HR, 3.4; 95% CI, 1.3-8.7; P = .01) were significantly associated with shorter time to CD. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Cardiac death is common in RCM cats, and LA enlargement seems independently associated with decreased survival time in these cats.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30924221/