Paulino Carolina C L, Meneses André, Almeida Pedro, Dinis Paulo, Tavares de Oliveira Joana
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the Lusófona University, Lisboa University Center, Lisbon, Portugal.
I-MVET - Investigação em Medicina Veterinária, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Centro Universitário de Lisboa, Universidade Lusófona, Lisbon, Portugal.
Front Vet Sci. 2025 Jun 16;12:1546288. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1546288. eCollection 2025.
Lower urinary tract signs (LUTS) in cats encompass a range of clinical symptoms, that may have been altered by the unique circumstances of confinement and increased human interaction during the lockdowns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The stress of confinement could exacerbate underlying behavioral issues, while increased caregiver presence might influence the expression of LUTS, potentially leading to either improved monitoring and early detection or increased stress-related symptoms. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the presentation and outcomes of LUTS in cats by examining the potential influence of increased caregiver presence and confinement-related stress on clinical manifestations and disease progression. This retrospective study reviewed 298 cats with LUTS seen at a veterinary hospital from 2019 to 2021. Inclusion criteria required a complete set of examinations, including urinalysis, imaging, and urine culture. Cats were divided into a before-pandemic (BP) group and a during-pandemic (DP) group. Key variables, such as urethral obstruction, recurrence rates, and mortality, were statistically analyzed. The DP group demonstrated a statistically significant decrease in relapses ( < 0.001) and mortality ( < 0.05) compared to the BP group. Despite a rise in urethral obstructions in the DP group ( = 0.036), there was an overall reduction in adverse outcomes. BP cats were more likely to experience multiple episodes of LUTS than DP cats ( < 0.01). The findings suggest a positive impact of caregiver presence during the pandemic on LUTS outcomes, possibly due to improved monitoring and timely intervention. These insights underscore the potential benefits of increased caregiver engagement in managing feline LUTS.
猫下泌尿道症状（LUTS）涵盖一系列临床症状，这些症状可能因与新冠疫情相关的封锁期间的特殊限制情况及人与猫互动增加而发生改变。限制带来的压力可能会加剧潜在的行为问题，而照顾者陪伴时间的增加可能会影响LUTS的表现，这可能导致监测改善和早期发现，也可能导致与压力相关的症状增加。本研究旨在通过检查照顾者陪伴增加和限制相关压力对临床表现和疾病进展的潜在影响，评估新冠疫情对猫LUTS的表现及预后的影响。这项回顾性研究对2019年至2021年在一家兽医医院就诊的298只患有LUTS的猫进行了评估。纳入标准要求进行全套检查，包括尿液分析、影像学检查和尿培养。猫被分为疫情前（BP）组和疫情期间（DP）组。对尿道梗阻、复发率和死亡率等关键变量进行了统计分析。与BP组相比，DP组的复发率（<0.001）和死亡率（<0.05）有统计学意义的显著下降。尽管DP组尿道梗阻有所增加（=0.036），但不良后果总体上有所减少。BP组的猫比DP组的猫更有可能经历多次LUTS发作（<0.01）。研究结果表明，疫情期间照顾者的陪伴对LUTS的预后有积极影响，可能是由于监测改善和及时干预。这些见解强调了照顾者增加参与管理猫LUTS的潜在益处。
