Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Steroids given by mouth can enlarge cat hearts and blood volume
By Block, Chloё L & Oyama, Mark A·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2020·Friendship Hospital for Animals, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Echocardiographic and biomarker evidence of plasma volume expansion after short-term steroids administered orally in cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
Ten cats were given oral steroids for 5 to 7 days to see if it would affect their heart size or blood markers related to heart health. While the steroids did not change blood pressure or blood sugar levels, they did lead to an increase in heart size measurements in some cats. In fact, 60% of the cats showed a significant rise in a heart-related marker called NT-proBNP after treatment. This suggests that oral steroids can cause changes in heart size and function, which may be important for veterinarians to monitor in cats receiving these medications.
People also search for: cat heart problems after steroids · NT-proBNP levels in cats · oral steroids effects on cat heart size
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Steroids administered PO and intramuscularly are associated with development of congestive heart failure in cats without prior signs of heart disease, but criteria to identify cats at increased risk for steroid-induced heart failure are not established. HYPOTHESIS: Cats administered steroids PO for 5 to 7 days will develop increased N terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) concentration and heart size. ANIMALS: Ten client-owned cats. METHODS: Observational cohort study. Cats intended to initiate at least a 5-day course of steroids administered PO were consecutively recruited. RESULTS: Steroids administered PO to cats are not associated with differences in absolute concentration of NT-proBNP (baseline: 49 pmol/L [range, 24-1013]; after steroids: 85 pmol/L [range, 46-1367]; P = .23), blood pressure (baseline: 145 mm Hg [range, 116-163]; after steroids: 145 mm Hg [range, 115-230]; P = .94), nor blood glucose concentration (baseline: 125 mg/dL [range, 92-254]; after steroids: 144 mg/dL [range, 114-307]; P = .43), but are associated with increased median left atrial dimension (baseline: 1.26 cm [range, 0.96-2.03; after steroids: 1.38 [range, 1.03-2.20]; P = .02) and mean left ventricular internal diameter (baseline: 1.55 cm [standard deviation-SD, 0.28; after steroids: 1.72 cm [SD, 0.28]; P = .03). Six of 10 (60%) cats had a percentile change in NT-proBNP >60% after steroids, and 3 of 8 (38%) cats with baseline BNP <100 pmol/L had an NT-proBNP >100 pmol/L after steroids. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Increased heart size and percentage change in individual NT-proBNP concentration suggests plasma volume expansion secondary to steroids administered PO in cats. A serial assessment of an individual cat's change in NT-proBNP might be clinically useful for judging risk for volume expansion.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31816124/