Cardiac Disease

Cardiac disease is caused by abnormalities in the cardiovascular system and may involve valvular, myocardial, arrhythmic and/or vascular irregularities. Disease may be caused by congenital defects, such as patent ductus arteriosus or acquired alterations, such as valvular degeneration and cardiomyopathy.  Acquired disease can occur secondary to other conditions, such as hyperthyroidism and heartworm infection, but in many cases the etiology is unknown.

 

View detailed information and resources about specific conditions that can affect the heart:

Heartworm—Canine
Heartworm—Feline
Hyperthyroidism
Cardiac Disease Education

Diagnosing cardiac disease may be challenging in some patients because animals may present with no clinical signs or the clinical signs may be identical to those of respiratory illness.

It is estimated that 15% of all dogs show signs of heart disease. Chronic valvular disease is the most common cardiac illness in dogs, while dilated cardiomyopathy is relatively common in some large-breed dogs. The incidence of heart disease increases to 60% or more for dogs over 7 years of age.1

Although cats are less likely to present with clinical signs of heart disease, a recent study has found that 1 in 6 apparently healthy cats have some form of cardiomyopathy.2 Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is the most common form of feline heart disease.

Diagnosis of cardiac disease is based on patient history, a thorough physical examination and appropriate diagnostic tests. Many diagnostic methods are available, including:

  • Electrocardiogram (ECG)
  • Chest radiographs
  • Echocardiography
  • Doppler blood flow and tissue analysis
  • Cardiac biomarkers—NTproBNP
  • Blood pressure

 

The cardiac biomarker NTproBNP is a recently available diagnostic tool in veterinary medicine. The peptide NTproBNP is released into the bloodstream in response to increased stretch or strain of the heart muscle. NTproBNP is released early in the disease process and increases in proportion to the extent of disease, making it an effective marker for early disease detection.

The IDEXX Cardiopet® proBNP Test is a simple blood test available from IDEXX Reference Laboratories that measures NTproBNP concentrations in cats or dogs. The test can be used to detect early disease, to distinguish cardiac disease from respiratory disease and to distinguish heart disease from heart failure.

These two articles provide more information about diagnosing cardiac disease:

Veterinary Cardiology Diagnostics—Assessing Cardiac Health in the 21st Century
Cat’s Silent Killer

 

References:
1.
Rush JE. Chronic valvular heart disease in dogs. Paper presented at: 26th Annual Waltham Diets/OSU Symposium for the Treatment of Small Animal Diseases: Cardiology; October 19–20, 2002; Columbus, OH. www.vin.com/Proceedings/PDF/Walthamosu2002/PR02988.pdf. Accessed May 16, 2011.
2.
Paige CF, Abbott JA, Elvinger F, Pyle RL. Prevalence of cardiomyopathy in apparently healthy cats. JAVMA. 2009;234(11):1398–1403.

Treatment of cardiac disease depends upon the type of disease and its underlying cause (if known).