Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Low vitamin B12 linked to gut damage and outcomes in cats
By Park, Mina et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2026·Department of Medicine & Epidemiology, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Correlation between serum cobalamin concentration, histopathologic changes, and outcome in cats with chronic enteropathy.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 73 cats with chronic enteropathy (CE), which can cause digestive issues, were studied to see if low vitamin B12 (cobalamin) levels were linked to intestinal damage. The results showed that most cats with low cobalamin had some level of intestinal damage, but the vitamin levels didn't predict how severe the damage was or how well the cats would do overall. This means that while low cobalamin can indicate some problems, it might not be a reliable sign of how serious the intestinal issues are.
People also search for: cat chronic enteropathy symptoms · low vitamin B12 in cats · cat intestinal damage treatment
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Hypocobalaminemia is commonly used as a surrogate marker for distal small intestinal disease and may prompt ileal biopsy sample collection in cats. However, the correlation between serum cobalamin concentration and small intestinal histologic lesions has not been established in cats. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: Determine the correlation between serum cobalamin and folate concentrations, histologic lesions, and clinical outcomes in cats with chronic enteropathy (CE). ANIMALS: Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded duodenal and ileal samples from 73 client-owned cats with CE. METHODS: Retrospective study. Tissue archives were systematically searched for cases of CE with recorded serum cobalamin concentrations. A single pathologist blinded to clinicopathological data scored duodenal and ileal biopsy samples using a modified World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) scoring system. A modified Feline Chronic Enteropathy Activity Index (FCEAI) was used for outcome assessment. RESULTS: Seventy-three cases were included. Serum cobalamin concentrations showed a moderate negative correlation with total ileal WSAVA and cellular infiltrate scores (r = -0.44, P < .001 and r = -0.50, P < .001). Serum folate concentration did not show any significant correlations. Out of 51 cats with hypocobalaminemia, 50 had histologic lesions in either the ileum, the duodenum, or both, and 5 had histologic lesions confined to the duodenum with no ileal involvement. Serum cobalamin concentration was not associated with FCEAI or outcome. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Serum cobalamin concentrations in cats with CE are negatively correlated with histopathologic severity, particularly cellular infiltration in both the duodenum and ileum. However, hypocobalaminemia may not reliably predict the presence of ileal lesions.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42132356/