Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Obesity speeds up blood clotting in domestic shorthaired cats
By Bjornvad, C R et al.·Published in Journal of animal physiology and animal nutrition·2012·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Obesity increases initial rate of fibrin formation during blood coagulation in domestic shorthaired cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A study found that obese domestic shorthaired cats showed a faster rate of blood clot formation compared to lean and overweight cats. The researchers measured body fat and conducted blood tests to assess how obesity affects blood coagulation. They discovered that higher body fat levels were linked to increased fibrin formation, which is a key part of the clotting process. This suggests that obesity may lead to a higher risk of blood clotting issues in cats, but more research is needed to understand the clinical significance of these findings.
People also search for: cat obesity blood clotting · why is my cat overweight · cat health risks of obesity
Abstract
Obesity predisposes to a prothrombotic state in humans, but whether a similar state occurs in obese animals is unknown. The objective of the current study was to examine the effect of body fat percentage (BF) on haemostatic parameters including thromboelastography with tissue factor as activator (TF-TEG) in client owned indoor-confined physically inactive cats. Seventy-two cats were included following an initial thorough health examination, and a complete blood count, biochemistry panel, conventional coagulation panel and a TF-TEG analysis were performed with tissue factor (1:50,000) as activator. The cats were anaesthetized, and BF was measured using Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Significant difference between lean (BF < 35%, n = 26), overweight (35% < BF < 45%, n = 28) and obese (BF > 45%, n = 18) cats was identified using ANOVA. The correlation between BF, serum leptin and total adiponectin, respectively, with individual TEG and conventional coagulation parameters was evaluated. Obese cats showed a faster rate of fibrin formation (TF-TEG(R), p < 0.05), and TF-TEG(R) was positively correlated with plasma leptin levels. Increasing BF did not affect other conventional coagulation or TF-TEG parameters. In conclusion, this study indicates a connection between body fat content and altered haemostasis, also in cats. Whether feline obesity causes a hypercoagulable state of clinical relevance should be further investigated.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21950310/