Serum C-terminal telopeptide of Type-I collagen (CTx) concentration and myocardial hyperechogenicity in cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

OBJECTIVE

This study sought to determine the serum concentrations of C-terminal telopeptide of Type-I collagen (CTx), a marker of collagen degradation, in a hospital population of cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). The study also evaluated the prevalence of myocardial hyperechogenicity of the left ventricle (LV) in the same cats.

ANIMALS AND PROCEDURE

Cats brought to a university veterinary cardiology service entered the study when they had an echocardiographic diagnosis of HCM; echocardiographically normal cats served as controls. Serum CTx concentrations were assessed using ELISA.

RESULTS

There was no difference in serum CTx concentrations between cats with HCM and controls (HCM: median 0.248 ng/mL, controls: median 0.253 ng/mL; = 0.4). Significantly more cats with HCM (60%) showed echocardiographic LV myocardial hyperechogenicity compared to normal controls (17%; = 0.0057), but serum CTx concentrations were not different between these 2 groups.

CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE

These results indicate that, as in human patients with HCM and in contrast to earlier feline studies, there was no evidence of enhanced collagen degradation indicated by serum CTx concentrations in cats with HCM compared to normal controls.