Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Restrictive heart disease causing trouble breathing in 41 cats studied
By Kimura, Yusuke et al.·Published in The Journal of veterinary medical science·2016·Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Japan·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Epidemiological and clinical features of the endomyocardial form of restrictive cardiomyopathy in cats: a review of 41 cases.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of domestic short-haired cats, mostly male and averaging 7 years old, were found to have a serious heart condition called restrictive cardiomyopathy, which caused symptoms like difficulty breathing (dyspnea) in 83% of the cases. Many of these cats also experienced hind limb weakness or paralysis due to blood clots. Diagnostic tests showed significant heart changes, including enlarged heart chambers and thickened heart walls. Unfortunately, most of the cats had a poor prognosis, with a median survival time of just 30 days after diagnosis.
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Abstract
Examination of our necropsy records for the period 2005 to 2014 yielded 41 cases of the endomyocardial form of restrictive cardiomyopathy among 327 cats with evidence of heart disease, and here, we reviewed their epidemiological and clinical features. The medical data obtained retrospectively included signalment, presenting complaints, findings of physical examination, results of various diagnostic tests, methods of treatment and survival times. Except for one Chinchilla Persian cat, all were domestic short-haired cats. The mean age at death was 7.3 ± 4.5 years (median, 6 years; range, 4 months to 19 years), and males accounted for 61% (25/41) of the total. Dyspnea was the most common clinical sign, being evident in 83% (35/41) of the cats. Hind limb paresis or paralysis due to aortic thromboembolism was evident in 41% (17/41). Arrhythmias of atrial origin were common. Echocardiography commonly revealed left atrial or biatrial enlargement with severe endocardial thickening of the left ventricle. Most of the affected cats had a poor outcome; the disease duration ranged from 1 to 977 days, and the median survival period was 30 days.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26822001/