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Platelet function and antithrombin, plasminogen, and fibrinolytic activities in cats with heart disease
E G Welles1, M K Boudreaux, C S Crager
1Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, AL 36849-5519.
Insights
Cats with acquired heart disease show altered platelet function and increased antithrombin III activity. Further research is needed to understand the lack of clot lysis in these feline patients.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Medicine
- Cardiology
- Hematology
Background:
- Acquired heart disease in cats can lead to complex physiological changes.
- Hyperthyroidism is a common comorbidity with cardiac dysfunction in cats.
- Thromboembolic events are a serious complication in cats with heart disease.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare hemostatic parameters in cats with acquired heart disease versus healthy controls.
- To investigate platelet function, coagulation, and fibrinolysis in affected feline populations.
- To explore potential correlations between cardiac disease, comorbidities, and hemostatic abnormalities.
Main Methods:
- Evaluated platelet function (aggregation, serotonin release), antithrombin III, plasminogen activities, and fibrinolysis in cats.
- Compared 11 cats with acquired heart disease (including hyperthyroidism and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy) with 4 healthy cats.
- Assessed clot retraction and in vitro clot lysis.
Main Results:
- Cats with heart disease exhibited increased antithrombin III activity and decreased plasminogen activity.
- Platelets from affected cats showed reduced responsiveness to adenosine diphosphate but increased responsiveness to collagen.
- Clot retraction was decreased in cats with left ventricular dysfunction; dilute whole blood clots failed to lyse in vitro.
Conclusions:
- Acquired heart disease in cats is associated with significant alterations in hemostatic function, including platelet behavior and coagulation factors.
- The observed changes in platelet responsiveness and antithrombin III activity may contribute to thromboembolic risk.
- The failure of clot lysis warrants further investigation to understand its clinical implications in feline cardiovascular disease.
Abstract:
Platelet function, antithrombin and plasminogen activities, and fibrinolytic capabilities in 11 cats with acquired heart disease were compared with results in 4 healthy cats. Of 11 cats with heart disease, 9 had hyperthyroidism with secondary cardiac dysfunction. One cat with hyperthyroidism had renal disease and heart failure, and of 2 cats with idiopathic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, 1 also had renal disease. At the time of testing, 3 cats had thromboembolic events associated with the disease. Compared with healthy cats, cats with acquired heart disease had increased activity of antithrombin III, a protein that behaves as an acute-phase reactant. Plasminogen activity was decreased, although not significantly, in cats with acquired heart disease, compared with results in healthy cats. In cats with left ventricular dysfunction, clot retraction was decreased (marginal significance, P = 0.058) and might be attributed, in some cases, to the medications received by the cats. Dilute whole blood clots from all cats failed to lyse in vitro. This observation, at present, lacks adequate explanation. Platelets from cats with acquired heart disease, compared with platelets from healthy cats, had decreased responsiveness (aggregation and [14C]serotonin release) to adenosine diphosphate and increased responsiveness to collagen. Hyperthyroid cats were receiving various drugs (propranolol, atenolol, or diltiazem) to empirically treat clinical signs of disease attributable to cardiac dysfunction. Although numbers of cats in each group were small, definite trends were observed in the results of tests. Platelets from cats receiving atenolol had decreased responsiveness to adenosine diphosphate and unaltered responsiveness to collagen, compared with platelets from healthy cats, and may have decreased risk of thrombus formation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)