Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Diabetes risk and rates in insured cats in the UK
By McCann, Theresa M et al.·Published in Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery·2007·Division of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh Hospital for Small Animals, Easter Bush Veterinary Centre, Roslin, Midlothian EH25 9RG, UK, United Kingdom·View original on Crossref →
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Original publication title: Feline diabetes mellitus in the UK: The prevalence within an insured cat population and a questionnaire-based putative risk factor analysis
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A study found that 1 in 230 insured cats in the UK has diabetes mellitus (DM), with Burmese cats being 3.7 times more likely to develop the condition compared to non-pedigree cats. Male cats that are neutered, inactive, weigh over 5 kg, or have a history of corticosteroid treatment are at a higher risk for DM. Interestingly, male cats treated with megestrol acetate also showed an increased risk. The findings suggest that gender and low physical activity are significant risk factors for female cats, while breed is more critical for male cats.
People also search for: cat diabetes symptoms · Burmese cat diabetes risk · overweight cat diabetes prevention
Abstract
Prevalence and risk factors for the development of diabetes mellitus (DM) in cats in the United Kingdom have not previously been reported. The prevalence of DM was evaluated in a large insured population and was found to be 1 in 230 cats. In this insured cat population Burmese cats were 3.7 times more likely to develop DM than non-pedigree cats. A convenience-sampling questionnaire-based study was used in order to identify putative risk factors for the development of DM. The univariate risk factor analysis identified being male, neutered, inactive, weighing ≥5 kg and having a history of corticosteroid treatment as significant risk factors for the development of DM in these cats. In addition, male cats treated with megestrol acetate had a significantly increased risk of developing DM compared to females. In contrast, there was no difference in DM occurrence between male and female Burmese cats. A multivariate classification tree-based model on the questionnaire data looking for interactions between risk factors, identified gender as the most important overall risk factor for the development of DM with low physical activity being the next most important risk factor for female cats and breed the next most important for male cats.
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Search related cases →Original publication on Crossref: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfms.2007.02.001