Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Muscle loss and recovery after radioiodine in hyperthyroid cats
By Xifra, Pilar et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2022·IODOCAT, Spain·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Effect of radioiodine treatment on muscle mass in hyperthyroid cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of hyperthyroid cats, which often lose muscle mass, were treated with radioiodine therapy to help restore their muscle condition. Before treatment, many of these cats showed significantly lower muscle mass compared to healthy cats. After receiving the therapy, most of the cats regained muscle mass, with many returning to normal levels within six months. This treatment was effective in improving their overall muscle condition, helping over 85% of the cats recover.
People also search for: hyperthyroid cat muscle loss treatment · radioiodine therapy for cats · cat muscle mass recovery after hyperthyroidism
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Approximately 75% of hyperthyroid cats lose muscle mass as accessed with a muscle condition scoring (MCS) system. After treatment, MCS improves as the cats regain muscle mass. OBJECTIVES: To quantify the degree of muscle loss in hyperthyroid cats using ultrasonography and evaluate changes in muscle mass after treatment. ANIMALS: Forty-eight clinically normal cats and 120 cats with untreated hyperthyroidism, 75 of which were reevaluated after radioiodine-131 therapy. METHODS: Prospective cross-sectional and before-after studies. All cats underwent ultrasonography and measurement of epaxial muscle height (EMH), with subsequent calculation of vertebral and forelimb epaxial muscle scores (VEMS and FLEMS). A subset of hyperthyroid cats underwent repeat muscle imaging 6 months after treatment. RESULTS: Untreated hyperthyroid cats had a lower EMH than did clinically normal cats (median [25th-75th percentile], 0.98 [0.88-1.16] cm vs 1.34 [1.23-1.58] cm, P < .001). Seventy-seven (64.2%) untreated cats had subnormal EMH. Similarly, compared to normal cats, hyperthyroid cats had lower VEMS (0.93 [0.84-1.07] vs 1.27 [1.18-1.39], P < .001) and FLEMS (1.24 [1.10-1.35] vs 1.49 [1.39-1.63], P < .001). After treatment, EMH increased (1.03 [0.89-1.03] cm to 1.33 [1.17-1.41] cm, P < .001), with abnormally low EMH normalizing in 36/41 (88%). Both VEMS (0.94 [0.87-1.10] to 1.21 [1.10-1.31], P < .001) and FLEMS (1.31 [1.17-1.40] to 1.47 [1.38-1.66], P < .001) also increased after treatment. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Almost two-thirds of hyperthyroid cats have abnormally low muscle mass when measured quantitatively by ultrasound. Successful treatment restores muscle mass in >85% of cats. EMH provided the best means of quantitating muscle mass in these cats.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36200596/