Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Transient heart thickening and heart failure in cats explained
By Novo Matos, J et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2018·Royal Veterinary College, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Transient Myocardial Thickening in Cats Associated with Heart Failure.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 2-year-old cat with heart failure was diagnosed with transient myocardial thickening (TMT), which means the heart muscle was temporarily thickened but later returned to normal. After about three months of treatment, the cat's heart condition improved significantly, with the heart muscle thickness decreasing and the heart failure symptoms resolving. Unlike older cats with persistent heart issues, this young cat had a much better outcome, with no recurrence of heart failure and no need for ongoing medication. All cats with TMT in the study survived, while many with chronic heart conditions did not.
People also search for: cat heart failure symptoms · transient myocardial thickening in cats · heart disease treatment for young cats
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and congestive heart failure (CHF) can have resolution of both left ventricular hypertrophy and CHF. OBJECTIVES: To describe the clinical characteristics of cats with transient myocardial thickening (TMT) and CHF compared with a control population of cats without resolution of HCM. ANIMALS: A total of 21 cats with TMT, 21 cats with HCM. METHODS: Retrospective study. Clinical records at 4 veterinary centers were searched for TMT cases and a control group of cats with HCM and CHF. TMT was defined as initial maximal left ventricular wall thickness (LVWT) ≥6 mm with left-sided CHF, with subsequent resolution of CHF, reduction in left atrium/aorta (LA/Ao), and LVWT<5.5 mm. HCM was defined as persistent LVWT ≥6 mm. RESULTS: Cats with TMT were younger (2 [0.4-11.4] years) than cats with HCM (8 [1.6-14] years) (P < 0.0001), and antecedent events were more common (15/21 versus 6/21, respectively) (P = 0.01). In cats with TMT, LVWT normalized from 6.8 [6.0-9.7] mm to 4.8 [2.8-5.3] mm and LA/Ao decreased from 1.8 [1.6-2.3] to 1.45 [1.2-1.7] after a mean interval of 3.3 (95% CI: 1.8-4.7) months. CHF recurred in 1 of 21 TMT and 15 of 21 cats with HCM. Cardiac treatment was discontinued in 20 of 21 cats with TMT and 0 of 21 HCM cats. All cats with TMT survived, whereas 8 of 19 cats with HCM died during the study period. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: TMT occurs in younger cats, and antecedent events are common. The prognosis is better in cats with CHF associated with TMT than HCM.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29243322/