Prospective echocardiographic and tissue Doppler screening of a large Sphynx cat population: reference ranges, heart disease prevalence and genetic aspects
Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 17, 2026
Echocardiographic Approaches and Protocols for Comprehensive Phenotypic Characterization of Valvular Heart Disease in Mice
Published on: February 14, 2017
Valerie Chetboul1, Amandine Petit, Vassiliki Gouni
1Université Paris-Est, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, Unité de Cardiologie d'Alfort (UCA), Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vétérinaire d'Alfort (CHUVA), 7 avenue du général de Gaulle, 94704 Maisons-Alfort cedex, France. vchetboul@vet-alfort.fr
Insights
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and mitral valve dysplasia (MVD) are common in Sphynx cats, with HCM potentially inherited. Body weight influences echocardiographic measurements in this breed.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Cardiology
- Feline Genetics
- Cardiovascular Screening
Background:
- Sphynx cats are prone to specific cardiovascular conditions.
- Understanding breed-specific heart morphology and disease prevalence is crucial for early detection and management.
- Echocardiography and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) are key diagnostic tools.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate heart structure and function in Sphynx cats using echocardiography and TDI.
- To determine the prevalence and characteristics of heart diseases in this breed.
- To explore potential genetic factors contributing to cardiac conditions, particularly hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM).
Main Methods:
- 114 Sphynx cats underwent physical examination and echocardiography, including two-dimensional color TDI where possible.
- Data from 147 examinations (including 33 follow-ups) were analyzed.
- Pedigree analysis was conducted on a large family to investigate inheritance patterns.
Main Results:
- 34.2% of cats had abnormal echocardiograms, with diagnoses including congenital heart disease (16 cats) and HCM (23 cats).
- Mitral valve dysplasia (MVD) was common in congenital heart disease cases.
- HCM prevalence increased with age, and pedigree analysis suggested an autosomal dominant inheritance with incomplete penetrance.
Conclusions:
- Body weight is a significant factor influencing diastolic myocardial wall thickness measurements in Sphynx cats.
- HCM and MVD are prevalent cardiac conditions in the Sphynx breed.
- Further research with more pedigree data is needed to confirm the inheritance pattern of HCM in Sphynx cats.
Objectives:
(1) To investigate heart morphology and function using echocardiography and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI), (2) to determine heart disease prevalence and characteristics, and (3) to assess potential genetic features in a population of Sphynx cats presented for cardiovascular screening.
Animals:
A total of 147 echocardiographic examinations, including 33 follow-ups, were performed by trained observers on 114 Sphynx cats of different ages (2.62 ± 1.93 years [0.5-10.0]) from 2004 to 2011.
Methods:
Sphynx cats underwent a physical examination, conventional echocardiography, and, if possible, two-dimensional color TDI.
Results:
Conventional echocardiographic findings included 75/114 normal (65.8%) and 39/114 (34.2%) abnormal examinations with a diagnosis of either congenital heart diseases (n = 16) or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM, n = 23). In adult healthy cats, a significant body weight effect was observed for several echocardiographic variables, including end-diastolic left ventricular (LV) free wall (P < 0.01), interventricular septum (P < 0.001), and LV diameter (P < 0.001). Mitral valve dysplasia (MVD) was observed as a single or associated defect in 15/16 cats with congenital heart diseases. A significant increase in HCM prevalence (P < 0.001) was observed according to age. The pedigree analysis of a large family (n = 81) suggested an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance with incomplete penetrance for HCM.
Conclusions:
Body weight should be taken into account when interpreting values of diastolic myocardial wall thicknesses in Sphynx cats. Additionally, HCM and MVD are two relatively common heart diseases in this feline breed. More pedigree data are required to confirm the inheritance pattern of HCM at the breed level.
More Related Videos
11:50High-frequency High-resolution Echocardiography: First Evidence on Non-invasive Repeated Measure of Myocardial Strain, Contractility, and Mitral Regurgitation in the Ischemia-reperfused Murine Heart
Published on: July 9, 2010
08:09Echocardiographic Assessment of Cardiac Anatomy and Function in Adult Rats
Published on: December 13, 2019
