Lorida Olga, Konstantinidis Alexandros, Brellou Georgia D, Koutouzidou Georgia, Papadopoulou Paraskevi, Matiakis Apostolos, Adamama-Moraitou Katerina K, Papadimitriou Serafeim
Companion Animal Clinic, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Laboratory of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Front Vet Sci. 2025 Jun 26;12:1624016. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1624016. eCollection 2025.
Feline chronic gingivostomatitis (FCGS) is a debilitating and highly painful inflammatory disorder of the feline oral cavity. Evidence suggests that feline chronic gingivostomatitis (FCGS) induces systemic effects that extend beyond localized oral pathology, contributing to overall health decline in affected cats. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential impact of FCGS on the lower respiratory tract.
This is a prospective study, that included 42 cats with clinical signs of FCGS and five healthy control cats exhibiting no signs of oral disease. All cats underwent physical, oral, and endoscopic examinations of the lower respiratory tract. Radiological evaluation of the thorax was also performed. Lesions in the respiratory tract detected upon endoscopy and the oral cavity were recorded and scored. In cats with FCGS biopsies from bronchial mucosa were obtained from sites showing endoscopic evidence of inflammation.
Respiratory lesions were identified in all FCGS cats included in the study. Specifically, secretions were detected in 42 out of 42 (100%) cats, bronchial mucosal edema in 33 out of 42 (78.6%), a granular appearance in 14 out of 42 (33.3%), and hyperemia in 11 out of 42 (26.2%). Histopathological examination revealed mucosal and submucosal inflammation in 30 out of 36 (83.3%) cats and mucosal edema in 25 out of 36 (69.4%). Additionally, fibrosis was observed in 25 out of 36 (69.4%) samples, hyperplasia, or dilatation of bronchial glands in eight out of 36 (22.2%), and vascular wall thickening in 11 out of 36 (30.5%). Bronchial smooth muscle hypertrophy was present in 22 out of 36 (61.1%) examined samples. An attempt to correlate oral and respiratory lesion severity found no statistically significant correlation between stomatitis index, tracheobronchoscopy, or histopathological scores.
FCGS appears to coexist with lower respiratory tract disease. During FCGS management, it might be essential to address any underlying respiratory disorder, as it may favor the outcome of the primary disease, while remaining unattended it may increase the likelihood of FCGS recurrence.
猫慢性龈口炎（FCGS）是一种使猫衰弱且极具疼痛的口腔炎性疾病。有证据表明，猫慢性龈口炎（FCGS）会引发全身性影响，其范围超出局部口腔病变，导致患病猫整体健康状况下降。本研究的目的是调查FCGS对下呼吸道的潜在影响。
这是一项前瞻性研究，纳入了42只具有FCGS临床症状的猫和5只无口腔疾病迹象的健康对照猫。所有猫均接受了下呼吸道的体格、口腔和内镜检查。还对胸部进行了放射学评估。记录并对在内镜检查中发现的呼吸道病变以及口腔病变进行评分。对于患有FCGS的猫，从显示有内镜炎症证据的部位获取支气管黏膜活检样本。
在本研究纳入的所有FCGS猫中均发现了呼吸道病变。具体而言，42只猫中的42只（100%）检测到分泌物，42只中的33只（78.6%）出现支气管黏膜水肿，42只中的14只（33.3%）有颗粒状外观，42只中的11只（26.2%）出现充血。组织病理学检查显示，36只猫中的30只（83.3%）有黏膜和黏膜下炎症，36只中的25只（69.4%）有黏膜水肿。此外，36个样本中的25个（69.4%）观察到纤维化，36个中的8个（22.2%）有支气管腺体增生或扩张，36个中的11个（30.5%）有血管壁增厚。在36个检查样本中的22个（61.1%）存在支气管平滑肌肥大。试图将口腔和呼吸道病变严重程度进行关联，结果发现口炎指数、气管支气管镜检查或组织病理学评分之间无统计学显著相关性。
FCGS似乎与下呼吸道疾病共存。在FCGS的治疗过程中，处理任何潜在的呼吸道疾病可能至关重要，因为这可能有利于原发性疾病的治疗结果，而若不加以关注，可能会增加FCGS复发的可能性。
