Evaluation of Body Weight, Body Condition, and Muscle Condition in Cats with Hyperthyroidism.
BACKGROUND
The contribution of fat loss versus muscle wasting to the loss of body weight seen in hyperthyroid cats is unknown.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate body weight, body condition score (BCS), and muscle condition score (MCS) in hyperthyroid cats.


METHODS
Four hundred sixty-two cats with untreated hyperthyroidism, 117 of which were reevaluated after treatment.


METHODS
Prospective cross-sectional and before-after studies. Untreated hyperthyroid cats had body composition evaluated (body weight, BCS, and MCS). A subset of these cats were reevaluated 3-12 months after treatment when euthyroid.


RESULTS
Pretreatment body weight (median, 4.36 kg; IQR, 3.5 to 5.2 kg) was lower than premorbid weight (5.45 kg; IQR, 4.6 to 6.4 kg, P < .0001) recorded 1-2 years before diagnosis. 154 (35.3%) cats were thin or emaciated; 357 (77.3%) had loss of muscle mass. Cats showed increases in body weight (median, 4.1 kg to 5.0 kg), BCS (median, 3/5 to 3.5/5), and MCS (2/3 to 3/3) after treatment (P < .001), but mild-to-moderate muscle wasting persisted in 45% of treated cats.


CONCLUSIONS
Most hyperthyroid cats lose body weight but maintain an ideal or overweight BCS, with only a third being underweight. As in human hyperthyroid patients, this weight loss is associated with muscle wasting, which affects >75% of hyperthyroid cats. Successful treatment leads to weight gain and increase of BCS in most cats, but almost half fail to regain normal muscle mass.
Animal Endocrine Clinic, New York, NY.|College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.
M E
ME
Peterson
Animal Endocrine Clinic, New York, NY.
C A
CA
Castellano
College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.|Veterinary Information Network, Davis, CA.
M
M
Rishniw
D000818:Animals; D001823:Body Composition; D001835:Body Weight; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000532:radiotherapy; D002415:Cats; D065187:Controlled Before-After Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006980:Hyperthyroidism / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000662:veterinary*; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D009133:Muscular Atrophy / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D011446:Prospective Studies
D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes
Body composition; Dietary protein; Feline; Muscle condition; Sarcopenia; Thyroid gland
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