Haemostatic abnormalities in cats with naturally occurring liver diseases

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Brigitte Dircks1, Ingo Nolte, Reinhard Mischke

  • 1Small Animal Clinic, University of Veterinary Medicine Hanover, Bünteweg 9, 30559 Hannover, Germany.

Veterinary Journal (London, England : 1997)
|November 15, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Nearly all cats with liver disease show abnormal blood clotting. Factor XIII deficiency is common in neoplastic and degenerative liver diseases, while inflammatory liver disease often shows increased D-dimer and decreased Factor XIII.

Area of Science:

  • Veterinary Medicine
  • Hematology
  • Hepatology

Background:

  • Liver disease in cats can significantly impact systemic health.
  • The hemostatic system's role in feline liver disease is not fully understood.
  • Coagulation abnormalities are suspected in cats with hepatic dysfunction.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To characterize hemostatic system alterations in cats with various liver diseases.
  • To identify specific coagulation abnormalities associated with different types of feline liver disease.
  • To investigate the underlying mechanisms of hemostasis changes in feline liver disease.

Main Methods:

  • Evaluated coagulation parameters in 45 cats with histologically or cytologically confirmed liver diseases (neoplasia, inflammation, hepatic lipidosis, degenerative) and 44 healthy controls.
  • Assessed platelet count, prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, thrombin time, factor (F) II, FV, FVII, FX, FXIII activities, fibrinogen, antithrombin, protein C, plasminogen, α(2)-plasmin inhibitor, and D-dimer.
  • Compared results between healthy cats and cats with different liver disease categories.

Main Results:

  • 98% of cats with liver disease exhibited at least one hemostatic abnormality.
  • Factor XIII deficiency was common in neoplastic (78%) and degenerative (64%) liver diseases.
  • Inflammatory liver disease showed increased D-dimer (83%) and decreased FXIII (75%).
  • Hepatic lipidosis presented with increased FV activity and D-dimer (54%).

Conclusions:

  • Alterations in the hemostatic system are frequent in cats with liver disease.
  • Consumptive coagulopathy, secondary to hemostasis activation, appears to be the primary cause, rather than decreased synthesis.
  • Increased levels of certain hemostatic factors in inflammatory conditions may indicate an acute phase response.

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