Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Frequency of feline diabetes mellitus and breed predisposition in domestic cats in Australia.
- Journal:
- Veterinary journal (London, England : 1997)
- Year:
- 2009
- Authors:
- Lederer, R et al.
- Affiliation:
- University of Queensland · Australia
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A study in Australia looked at how common diabetes mellitus (a condition where the body can't properly manage sugar) is in domestic cats that visited two feline-only veterinary clinics. Out of 12,576 cats over five years, 93 were diagnosed with diabetes, which means about 7 out of every 1,000 cats were affected. Burmese cats were found to be more likely to develop diabetes, with about 22 out of every 1,000 affected, and they were also diagnosed at an older age, around 13.6 years, compared to 10.9 years for other domestic cats. The researchers suggest that more studies are needed to understand why Burmese cats are more prone to this condition.
Abstract
The frequency of diabetes mellitus is described for cats that received veterinary care from two large feline-only clinics in Brisbane, Australia. Frequency was estimated using period prevalences (the proportion of the population at risk that was affected by diabetes at any point during a specified time period). Of the 12,576 study cats, 93 were affected with diabetes during the 5-year study period, resulting in a 5-year period prevalence of 7.4 per 1000 cats. Period prevalence was significantly higher in Burmese cats (22.4 cats per 1000) than domestic short and longhaired cats (7.6 cats per 1000) and the mean age at first diagnosis during the study period was significantly higher amongst Burmese cats (13.6 years) compared to domestic short and longhaired cats (10.9 years). Further investigations into the apparent predisposition of Burmese cats to diabetes mellitus are indicated.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18155627/