Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Low vitamin B12 common in cats with hyperthyroidism
By Cook, A K et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2011·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences GI Laboratory, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: The prevalence of hypocobalaminaemia in cats with spontaneous hyperthyroidism.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 76 cats with hyperthyroidism, a condition that causes increased levels of thyroid hormone, were tested for low vitamin B12 levels (hypocobalaminaemia). The results showed that nearly 41% of these hyperthyroid cats had lower vitamin B12 levels compared to only 25% of healthy older cats. This suggests that hyperthyroidism may impact how these cats absorb or use vitamin B12. While low vitamin B12 levels were common in hyperthyroid cats, they did not appear to be linked to other blood issues like low white blood cell or red blood cell counts.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of hypocobalaminaemia in cats with moderate to severe hyperthyroidism and to investigate the relationship between cobalamin status and selected haematologic parameters. METHODS: Serum cobalamin concentrations were measured in 76 spontaneously hyperthyroid cats [serum thyroxine (T(4) ) concentration ≥100 nmol/L] and 100 geriatric euthyroid cats. Erythrocyte and neutrophil counts in hyperthyroid cats with hypocobalaminaemia were compared with those in hyperthyroid cats with adequate serum cobalamin concentrations (≥290 ng/L). RESULTS: The median cobalamin concentration in hyperthyroid cats was lower than the control group (409 versus 672 ng/L; P=0·0040). In addition, 40·8% of hyperthyroid cats had subnormal serum cobalamin concentrations compared with 25% of controls (P=0·0336). Weak negative correlation (coefficient: -0·3281) was demonstrated between serum cobalamin and T(4) concentrations in the hyperthyroid population, and the median cobalamin concentration was lower in cats with T(4) above the median of 153 nmol/L compared with cats with T(4) below this value (P=0·0281). Hypocobalaminaemia was not associated with neutropenia or anaemia in hyperthyroid cats. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: This study indicates that a substantial proportion of cats with T(4) ≥100 nmol/L are hypocobalaminaemic and suggests that hyperthyroidism directly or indirectly affects cobalamin uptake, excretion or utilisation in this species.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21265849/