Dilated cardiomyopathy Flashcards
How common is dilated cardiomyopathy
The incidence of dilated cardiomyopathy is now relatively uncommon because of the link between DCM and taurine deficiency
What are the characteristics of dilated cardiomyopathy
DCM is characterized by dilation of all four chambers and systolic dysfunction of the ventricular myocardium (which may or may not be altered in thickness)
Are there some breeds that are more prone to DCM
A strong breed predisposition has not been noted
Siamese, Burmese, Birman and Persians may be more prone to DCM
What are the epidemiological features for DCM
It tends to occur:
- in older cats
- in cats fed home made diets or dry dog food (which is too low in protein, leading to taurine deficiency, such as lamb and rice diets)
- cats eating only a single-ingredient diet (e.g., a chicken diet or a vegetarian diet) are susceptible to developing taurine deficiency and DCM
- it is the same with a diet limited to whole, ground-up rabbit, in part due to the fact that rabbit carcasses are deficient in taurine
If a cat has taurine-responsive DCM, when is it expected to have clinical and echocardiographic improvements
If a cat has taurine-responsive DCM,
- clinical improvement is observed within two weeks when supplemented with taurine (250md, q12h)
- echocardiographic improvement may take a further two weeks
Which findings are associated with a poor outcome in cats with DCM
Hypothermia
Severe systolic dysfunction (FS < 20%)
What is the typical clinical presentation for cats with DCM
Almost all cats with DCM present in left heart failure
- pulmonary edema and/or pleural effusion
Tachypnoea, dyspnoea and hypothermia predominate
A gallop sound is common but arrhythmias are uncommon
Left atrial thrombus formation (due to LA severe dilation) and arterial thromboembolism are common in cats with DCM
