Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Sudden death in Persian cat linked to lung and heart disease
By Jenkins, Tiffany L & Jennings, Ryan N·Published in Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc·2017·Department of Veterinary Biosciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Pulmonary capillary hemangiomatosis and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in a Persian cat.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 1-year-old neutered male Persian cat suddenly died after grooming, and an autopsy revealed serious lung and heart issues. The cat had abnormal growths in the lungs, which indicated a rare condition called pulmonary capillary hemangiomatosis (PCH), along with signs of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a heart condition that causes the heart muscle to thicken. These findings suggest that the cat's heart problems may have contributed to its sudden death, but they were not directly related to the lung condition. Unfortunately, the cat did not survive, highlighting the importance of monitoring for unusual symptoms in pets.
People also search for: Persian cat sudden death · cat heart problems · pulmonary capillary hemangiomatosis in cats · hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in cats
Abstract
Pulmonary capillary hemangiomatosis (PCH) and pulmonary veno-occlusive disease (PVOD) are rare causes of primary pulmonary hypertension in humans, and, in 2016, were reported in dogs. A 1-y-old, neutered male Persian cat was presented for autopsy after sudden death several hours after grooming. Grossly, the lungs were mottled red-to-pink, contained rubbery-to-firm nodular foci, and there was moderate-to-marked left-sided cardiomegaly and left atrial dilation, consistent with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Microscopically, there was multifocal to regionally extensive capillary proliferation within pulmonary alveolar septa and around respiratory bronchioles, with nodular aggregates of densely arranged capillaries that replaced pulmonary alveolar spaces. Rare occlusive venous remodeling was identified in Verhoeff-van Gieson-stained sections. The gross and microscopic changes were consistent with PCH with rare features of PVOD. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy was interpreted as potentially contributing to the cause of death, but unrelated to the pulmonary vascular proliferation.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28754081/