Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Using blood NT-proBNP to screen Maine Coon cats for heart thickening
By Hsu, Adonia et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary cardiology : the official journal of the European Society of Veterinary Cardiology·2009·William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Investigation into the use of plasma NT-proBNP concentration to screen for feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of adult Maine Coon cats was tested for heart disease called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) using a blood test that measures NT-proBNP levels. The study found that cats with severe HCM had significantly higher NT-proBNP levels, which could help identify them, while those with moderate HCM did not show increased levels. This means the NT-proBNP test is good for spotting severe cases but not for milder ones. The researchers concluded that this test is not suitable for screening all cats for HCM, especially those with mild to moderate symptoms.
People also search for: cat heart disease symptoms · Maine Coon HCM screening · NT-proBNP test for cats
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the utility of feline NT-proBNP plasma concentration [NT-proBNP] as a screening tool for cats with subclinical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). ANIMALS, MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty adult Maine Coon or Maine Coon crossbred cats from the feline HCM research colony at the University of California, Davis were studied. All cats had previously been genotyped as heterozygous or negative for the A31P myosin binding protein C (MYBPC) mutation. Echocardiograms were performed to assess the severity of HCM in each cat. Blood samples were collected for evaluation of [NT-proBNP]. RESULTS: In these cats with severe HCM, [NT-proBNP] was significantly elevated (P<0.0001) when compared to all other groups of cats and an [NT-proBNP]>44pmol/L accurately predicted the presence of severe HCM. However, [NT-proBNP] was not increased in cats with moderate or equivocal HCM when compared to normal cats. Cats heterozygous for the MYBPC mutation had a significantly elevated [NT-proBNP] when compared to cats without the A31P mutation (P=0.028). CONCLUSIONS: Measurement of [NT-proBNP] has a high sensitivity and specificity as a means of detecting severe HCM in cats, but it is not sensitive for the identification of moderate HCM as judged by the evaluation of Maine Coon and Maine Coon cross cats in our colony. Consequently, we conclude that this test cannot be used to screen cats for the presence of mild to moderate HCM.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19395334/