Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat with polycythemia vera showing twitching and suspected
By Kempf, Jennifer & von Magnis, Johannes·Published in Tierarztliche Praxis. Ausgabe K, Kleintiere/Heimtiere·2019·Kleintierzentrum Iffezheim.·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: [Suspected hippocampal sclerosis in an european shorthair cat diagnosed with polycythemia vera].
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 7-year-old male cat suddenly became lethargic and had trouble with balance, leading his owner to seek veterinary help. He was diagnosed with polycythemia vera, a condition where the body produces too many red blood cells. As his condition progressed, he started showing more symptoms like twitching, aggression, drooling, circling, and tilting his head. An MRI scan revealed changes in his brain consistent with hippocampal sclerosis, which may have been caused by reduced blood flow related to his polycythemia. Treatment details were not specified, but the case highlights the importance of monitoring for neurological symptoms in cats with this blood condition.
People also search for: cat lethargy and balance problems · polycythemia vera in cats · cat twitching and aggression · cat head tilt causes
Abstract
A 7-year-old male castrated cat was presented because of an acute onset of lethargy and vestibular ataxia. The cat was diagnosed with polycythemia vera. Later the patient developed additional clinical signs including orofacial twitching, aggressivity, hypersalivation, circling and a head tilt. A magnetic resonance imaging was performed and revealed hippocampal alterations compatible with hippocampal sclerosis. The presented case report describes the clinical signs and hematologic findings in a cat with polycythemia vera and the response of treatment. Another part is the discussion about the hypothesis that the hippocampal alterations were due to a cerebral hypoperfusion caused by the polycythemic condition.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31814093/