Feline dysautonomia in the Midwestern United States: A retrospective study of nine cases

Abstract

Dysautonomia of domestic animals is pathologically characterized by chromatolytic degeneration of the neurons in the autonomic nervous ganglia that results in clinical signs related to dysfunction or failure of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. The exact cause is unknown. It has a poor prognosis among all species reported and no definitive treatment is available currently. To date, most reported feline cases have occurred in the United Kingdom and Scandinavia. The cases reported here highlight the clinical signs, physical examination findings, and results of autonomic nervous system function testing in nine cats with dysautonomia in the US. Feline dysautonomia is uncommon in the US, but may have a regional prevalence, as is seen in dogs with most cases reported in Missouri and Kansas.

Key-Gaskell syndrome in Brazil: first case report

“…This is a rare and devastating pathological condition in domestic cats with very low survival rates. Up to 70% of the affected cats will die or be euthanized at the request of their owners (Sharp et al, 1984;Kidder et al, 2008).…”

“…After the first report made by Key and Gaskell (1982), some cases were described in the 1980s and 1990s, mostly in Europe and less frequently in the USA, but since then the incidence has decreased considerably (Kidder et al, 2008). In a retrospective study of 286 cases of neurological disorders affecting cats from 1975 to 1998 in UK, 27 (9%) were diagnosed with dysautonomia.…”

“…It was first recognized in Scotland (Key and Gaskell, 1982), and since then few cases have been reported (Kidder et al, 2008).…”

“…Clinical signs include depression, anorexia and may reflect generalized autonomic dysfunction (Cave et al, 2003;Kidder et al, 2008).…”

“…A marked reduction in neuronal numbers in the ganglia is observed in all cases, regardless of species (Kidder et al, 2008). This disease has a poor prognosis and no definitive treatment is available (O'Brien and Johnson, 2002).…”