Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Signs of degenerative joint disease found in 34% of cats at a hospital
By Clarke, S P et al.·Published in The Veterinary record·2005·Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Prevalence of radiographic signs of degenerative joint disease in a hospital population of cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 218 cats was examined for signs of joint problems, and it was found that about 34% had signs of degenerative joint disease, which includes osteoarthritis. Interestingly, many of these cats showed no obvious symptoms, with only a few displaying lameness. Most of the cats with joint issues were older, suggesting that age may play a role in the development of these conditions. If your cat is older and showing signs of discomfort or limping, it might be worth discussing joint health with your veterinarian.
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Abstract
The prevalence of radiographic signs of degenerative joint disease (including appendicular osteoarthritis) among a hospital population of 218 cats was 33.9 per cent (74 cats), and the prevalence of signs of appendicular joint osteoarthritis was 16.5 per cent (36 cats). Half of the cases of appendicular joint osteoarthritis had no apparent radiographic or historical cause, and clinical signs of lameness were recorded in only six of them, all of which had an apparent radiographic cause. The 74 cats with radiographic signs of degenerative joint disease were on average significantly older than the 144 cats in which there were no radiographic signs of the disease.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16361472/