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Feline idiopathic cardiomyopathy: a retrospective study of 106 cats (1994-2001)
L Ferasin1, C P Sturgess, M J Cannon
1Feline Centre, Division of Companion Animals, Department of Clinical Veterinary Science, University of Bristol, Langford House, Langford, Bristol BS40 5DU, UK. luca.ferasin@bristol.ac.uk
Insights
Idiopathic cardiomyopathy in cats is most commonly hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Survival time varies significantly by type, with unclassified cardiomyopathy (UCM) offering the longest prognosis, while dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) has the shortest.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Cardiology
- Feline Medicine
- Cardiovascular Research
Background:
- Idiopathic cardiomyopathy is a significant cardiac disease in cats.
- Understanding the different forms and their prognoses is crucial for feline health management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To retrospectively review case records of cats diagnosed with idiopathic cardiomyopathy.
- To analyze the prevalence of different cardiomyopathy types, signalment, clinical findings, and survival times.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of 106 feline case records from the University of Bristol Feline Centre (1994-2001).
- Analysis included echocardiographic, clinical, electrocardiographic, and radiographic data.
- Survival analysis was performed on available follow-up data.
Main Results:
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) was the most prevalent form (57.5%).
- Other forms included restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM) (20.7%), dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) (10.4%), and unclassified cardiomyopathy (UCM) (10.4%).
- Median survival time was 300 days, with significant variation by type (UCM: 925 days, HCM: 492 days, RCM: 132 days, DCM: 11 days).
Conclusions:
- HCM is the predominant type of idiopathic cardiomyopathy in the studied feline population.
- Prognosis varies drastically among different cardiomyopathy subtypes, with UCM having the best and DCM the worst survival outlook.
Abstract:
The case records of 106 cats with idiopathic cardiomyopathy that presented to the Feline Centre of the University of Bristol between September 1994 and September 2001 were reviewed retrospectively. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) was the most common form seen (57.5%), followed by restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM) (20.7%), dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) (10.4%) and unclassified cardiomyopathy (UCM) (10.4%). One cat showed echocardiographic changes compatible with a moderator band cardiomyopathy (MBCM). Most affected cats were domestic short hairs (DSH) (57.5%). The mean (+/-SD, range) age of cats with cardiomyopathy at presentation was 6.8 (4.3, 0.5-16) years, with an equal distribution of males and females. Clinical findings, electrocardiographic changes and radiographic abnormalities were also reviewed. The median survival time for 73 cats for which follow-up data was available was 300 days. A greater survival time was observed for cats with UCM (925 days) when compared with those with HCM (492 days), RCM (132 days) or DCM (11 days).