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Natural history of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in cats from rehoming centers: The CatScan II study
Jose Novo Matos1, Jessie Rose Payne2, Joonbum Seo3,4
1Clinical Science and Services, Royal Veterinary College, Hertfordshire, UK.
Insights
Lower left atrial systolic function may precede hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in cats. Cardiovascular events are common in cats with HCM, even those without prior heart disease signs.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Cardiology
- Feline Medicine
- Cardiovascular Research
Background:
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) studies in cats often involve clinically affected animals, potentially biasing findings.
- Limited data exists on factors predicting HCM development in cats without initial cardiac disease signs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify clinical variables predicting HCM development in cats.
- To assess the rate of cardiovascular events in cats with HCM not referred for cardiac issues.
Main Methods:
- A prospective longitudinal study followed 107 shelter cats without initial cardiac or systemic disease.
- Serial echocardiograms and Cox regression analysis identified HCM predictors.
- Adverse cardiovascular events were tracked over a median of 5.6 years.
Main Results:
- Nineteen of 107 cats developed HCM during the study.
- Lower left atrial fractional shortening, higher left ventricular fractional shortening, and increased body weight predicted HCM development.
- Cardiovascular events occurred in 21% of cats diagnosed with HCM.
Conclusions:
- Reduced left atrial systolic function may be an early indicator of feline HCM.
- Cardiovascular events are frequent in cats with HCM, highlighting the need for early detection and management.
Background:
The natural history of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in cats has been mainly studied in cats referred for suspected heart disease, which can skew the results towards cats with clinical signs. Few data are available on factors associated with development of HCM in cats.
Hypotheses:
(1) Clinical variables can predict which cats will develop HCM; (2) HCM in cats not referred for suspected heart disease is associated with a low rate of cardiovascular events.
Animals:
One hundred seven cats from rehoming centers without a history of clinical signs of cardiac or systemic disease at the time of adoption.
Methods:
Prospective longitudinal study. After rehoming, shelter cats were reexamined for serial echocardiograms. Cox regression analysis was used to identify predictors of development of HCM in cats that were normal at baseline. Adverse cardiovascular events including heart failure, thromboembolism, or sudden death were recorded.
Results:
Cats were monitored for a median of 5.6 [1.2-9.2] years. At baseline, 68/107 cats were normal, 18/107 were equivocal and 21/107 had HCM. Nineteen cats developed HCM during the study period. The factors at baseline associated with increased hazard of developing HCM were lower left atrial fractional shortening, higher left ventricular fractional shortening, and higher body weight. Cardiovascular events were observed in 21% of cats with HCM.
Conclusions And Clinical Importance:
Cardiovascular events were common in cats with HCM from a rehoming center study sample. Lower left atrial systolic function appears to precede overt HCM.
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