Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Heart biomarker levels in cats with mitral valve motion but no heart
By Ferasin, L et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary cardiology : the official journal of the European Society of Veterinary Cardiology·2020·Specialist Veterinary Cardiology Consultancy Ltd., United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Evaluation of N-terminal prohormone of brain natriuretic peptide and cardiac troponin-I levels in cats with systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve in the absence of left ventricular hypertrophy.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 80 cats was examined for a heart condition called systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve (SAM), which can affect how blood flows from the heart. Surprisingly, many of these cats showed no signs of heart remodeling, yet 30 out of 34 had high levels of a specific heart protein (NT-proBNP), indicating stress on the heart. This suggests that even without visible heart changes, SAM can still lead to elevated heart markers. The study found a strong link between the NT-proBNP levels and the severity of blood flow obstruction caused by SAM.
People also search for: cat heart problems SAM · elevated NT-proBNP in cats · cat heart disease symptoms
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To identify the prevalence of systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve (SAM) in apparently healthy cats in the absence of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and examine the relationship between specific cardiac biomarker concentrations and echocardiographic parameters in these individuals. ANIMALS: eighty client-owned cats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: retrospective study; inclusion criteria were the presence of SAM on conscious echocardiography and concurrent measurement of plasma N-terminal prohormone of brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and serum cardiac troponin-I (cTnI). Cats were excluded if they had LVH, left atrial enlargement or systemic disease. The percentages of cats with NT-proBNP and cTnI concentrations above the normal reference range were calculated. The correlation between each biomarker concentration and left ventricular myocardial wall thickness, left atrial size and maximum left ventricular outflow tract velocity was evaluated. RESULTS: Thirty-four of 80 patients with SAM showed no evidence of cardiac remodelling (LVH or left atrial enlargement). Of these patients, 30 of 34 had elevated NT-proBNP, and cTnI was elevated in 13 of 27 (48.1%) cats where this biomarker was measured in association with the NT-proBNP assay. A positive correlation was observed between concentration of plasma NT-proBNP and maximum left ventricular outflow tract velocity (rs = 0.67, p<0.0001). No significant correlations were found between the concentration of biomarkers and the remaining echocardiographic parameters. CONCLUSIONS: SAM is frequently observed in cats even in the absence of cardiac remodelling, and these individuals often demonstrate elevated plasma NT-proBNP and serum cTnI concentrations. Plasma NT-proBNP elevation is correlated with the severity of the left ventricular outflow obstruction caused by SAM.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32645686/