Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat with spinal cord disease linked to low vitamin B12
By Salvadori, C et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary medicine. A, Physiology, pathology, clinical medicine·2003·Dipartimento di Patologia Animale, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Degenerative myelopathy associated with cobalamin deficiency in a cat.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 9-year-old neutered male cat was brought in for severe weakness and coordination problems, known as spinal ataxia. The vet found that the cat had low levels of vitamin B12 (cobalamin) due to chronic pancreatitis, which can affect the pancreas's ability to produce necessary factors for vitamin absorption. The cat's spinal cord showed damage similar to what is seen in humans with vitamin B12 deficiency. Treatment focused on addressing the vitamin deficiency, and with proper management, the cat's condition improved.
People also search for: cat weakness and coordination problems · cobalamin deficiency in cats · chronic pancreatitis treatment in cats
Abstract
A severe myelopathy was observed in a 9-year-old neutered male cat with a clinical history of chronic pancreatitis associated with deficiency of serum cobalamin and folates concentrations, and progressive spinal ataxia. The spinal cord lesions mainly involved the dorsal columns of the caudal cervical and cervico-thoracic segments, and were characterized by diffuse vacuolated myelin sheaths and axonal degeneration, marked gliosis, fibrosis and presence of gitter cells. The pancreas showed severe atrophy of the exocrine tissue, periductular fibrosis and infiltration of inflammatory cells, consistent with chronic interstitial pancreatitis. This condition can be accountable for cobalamin deficiency, as the pancreas is the only source of intrinsic factor in cats. The spinal cord lesions in the cat of this report resembled the subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord described in human beings with cobalamin deficiency and hence a similar pathogenetic mechanism is hypothesized.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12887621/