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Survival in cats with primary and secondary cardiomyopathies

Ilaria Spalla1, Chiara Locatelli2, Giulia Riscazzi2

  • 1The Cardiology Unit; Department of Veterinary Sciences and Public Health (DIVET), Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy illispa@hotmail.com.

Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery
|June 11, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Feline cardiomyopathies (CMs) vary in survival outcomes, with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) having the longest median survival. Clinical signs and specific echocardiographic markers predict poor prognosis across all feline CM types.

Area of Science:

  • Veterinary Cardiology
  • Comparative Pathology

Background:

  • Feline cardiomyopathies (CMs) are diverse myocardial diseases, with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM) being common.
  • Limited data exists comparing outcomes for different feline CM types and the impact of systemic diseases on survival.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare survival times and identify prognostic factors in cats with HCM, RCM, or secondary CM.
  • To investigate cardiovascular consequences of systemic diseases on feline survival.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective study of 94 cats with complete records and echocardiography.
  • Categorization into HCM (50 cats), RCM (14 cats), and secondary CM (30 cats).

Main Results:

  • Significant survival differences observed: HCM (865 days), RCM (273 days), secondary CM (<50% cardiac death rate).
  • Independent risk factors for poor prognosis included clinical signs, elevated left atrial to aortic root (LA/Ao) ratio, and hypercoagulable state.
  • Primary CMs (HCM + RCM) share features like LA dimension and hypercoagulability affecting survival.

Conclusions:

  • Clinical signs and LA/Ao ratio are critical indicators of severity in feline CM.
  • While secondary CMs are generally more benign, poor management of the underlying systemic disease can lead to adverse outcomes.
  • Understanding shared feline cardiovascular physiology is key to managing end-stage CM.
Abstract

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