Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Survival times for cats with hyperthyroidism after surgery or medicine
By Naito, Eiji et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2024·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Comparison of survival times of cats with hyperthyroidism treated with thyroidectomy or methimazole at a primary care hospital in Japan.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 41 cats diagnosed with hyperthyroidism (an overactive thyroid) were treated either with surgery to remove the thyroid gland (thyroidectomy) or with a medication called methimazole. The cats that had the surgery lived significantly longer than those treated with medication alone. Additionally, the surgery resulted in fewer cases of the condition returning compared to the medication. For cat owners, this suggests that if surgery is an option, it may lead to better long-term outcomes for cats with hyperthyroidism.
People also search for: cat hyperthyroidism treatment options · thyroid surgery for cats · methimazole side effects in cats
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: We identified the associated factors and compared the survival times of feline hyperthyroidism (FHT) between thyroidectomy and methimazole alone. METHODS: The medical records of 41 cats diagnosed with new-onset hyperthyroidism were retrospectively reviewed. The cats were categorized into the thyroidectomy (n = 15) and methimazole (26) treatment groups. Survival analyses using the Kaplan-Meier method, log-rank test, and Cox proportional hazards models were conducted to compare the time to the selected outcomes. RESULTS: Univariate analysis revealed that survival time was significantly longer with thyroidectomy than with methimazole (P < .001). Multivariate analyses revealed thyroidectomy as an independent prognostic factor for good outcomes (hazard ratio, 0.209; 95% CI, 0.073 to 0.601; P = .004). The recurrence rate was significantly lower in cats that underwent thyroidectomy than in those that received methimazole alone (P = .011). CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Compared with methimazole alone, thyroidectomy was associated with a longer survival time in FHT and can be considered an irreversible treatment modality in settings where radioisotopes are not available.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39019056/