Comparative cardiac macroscopic and microscopic study in cats with hyperthyroidism vs. cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Vet Q. 2023 Jul 10:1-21. doi: 10.1080/01652176.2023.2234436. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTHyperthyroidism is considered the most common endocrinopathy in middle-aged and old cats. The increased level of thyroid hormones influences many organs, including the heart. Cardiac functional and structural abnormalities in cats with hyperthyroidism have indeed been previously described. Nonetheless, myocardial vasculature has not been subjected to analysis. Also, no comparison with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy has been previously described. Although it has been shown that clinical alterations resolve after the treatment of hyperthyroidism, no detailed data have been published on the cardiac pathological or histopathological image of field cases of hyperthyroid cats that received pharmacological treatment.The aim of this study was to evaluate the cardiac pathological changes in feline hyperthyroidism and to compare them to alterations present in cardiac hypertrophy due to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in cats.The study was conducted on 40 feline hearts divided into three groups: 17 hearts from cats suffering from hyperthyroidism, 13 hearts from cats suffering from idiopathic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and 10 hearts from cats without cardiac or thyroid disease. A detailed pathological and histopathological examination was performed.Cats with hyperthyroidism showed no ventricular wall hypertrophy in contrast to cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Nonetheless, histological alterations w...
Source: Veterinary Quarterly - Category: Veterinary Research Authors: Source Type: research