title: Vitamin D status predicts 30 day mortality in hospitalised cats.
abstract: Vitamin D insufficiency, defined as low serum concentrations of the major circulating form of vitamin D, 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), has been associated with the development of numerous infectious, inflammatory, and neoplastic disorders in humans. In addition, vitamin D insufficiency has been found to be predictive of mortality for many disorders. However, interpretation of human studies is difficult since vitamin D status is influenced by many factors, including diet, season, latitude, and exposure to UV radiation. In contrast, domesticated cats do not produce vitamin D cutaneously, and most cats are fed a commercial diet containing a relatively standard amount of vitamin D. Consequently, domesticated cats are an attractive model system in which to examine the relationship between serum 25(OH)D and health outcomes. The hypothesis of this study was that vitamin D status would predict short term, all-cause mortality in domesticated cats. Serum concentrations of 25(OH)D, together with a wide range of other clinical, hematological, and biochemical parameters, were measured in 99 consecutively hospitalised cats. Cats which died within 30 days of initial assessment had significantly lower serum 25(OH)D concentrations than cats which survived. In a linear regression model including 12 clinical variables, serum 25(OH)D concentration in the lower tertile was significantly predictive of mortality. The odds ratio of mortality within 30 days was 8.27 (95% confidence interval 2.54-31.52) for cats with a serum 25(OH)D concentration in the lower tertile. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that low serum 25(OH)D concentration status is an independent predictor of short term mortality in cats.
authors.affiliation: Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and The Roslin Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Roslin, Midlothian, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Titmarsh
authors.affiliation: Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and The Roslin Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Roslin, Midlothian, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kilpatrick
authors.affiliation: Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and The Roslin Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Roslin, Midlothian, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sinclair
authors.affiliation: Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and The Roslin Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Roslin, Midlothian, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Alisdair
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Boag
authors.affiliation: Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and The Roslin Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Roslin, Midlothian, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Elizabeth F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Bode
authors.affiliation: Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and The Roslin Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Roslin, Midlothian, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Stephanie M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Lalor
authors.affiliation: Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and The Roslin Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Roslin, Midlothian, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Donna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gaylor
authors.affiliation: Specialist Assay Laboratory (Vitamin D), Clinical Biochemistry, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Manchester, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Jacqueline
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Berry
authors.affiliation: Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and The Roslin Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Roslin, Midlothian, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Nicholas X
authors.initials: NX
authors.lastname: Bommer
authors.affiliation: Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and The Roslin Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Roslin, Midlothian, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Danielle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gunn-Moore
authors.affiliation: Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and The Roslin Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Roslin, Midlothian, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Nikki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Reed
authors.affiliation: Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and The Roslin Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Roslin, Midlothian, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Handel
authors.affiliation: Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and The Roslin Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Roslin, Midlothian, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Mellanby
mesh_terms: D015652:25-Hydroxyvitamin D 2 / Q000097:blood*; D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000401:mortality; D002415:Cats; D005260:Female; D006762:Hospitals, Animal; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D015652:25-Hydroxyvitamin D 2