Veterinary Medicine - November 2008 - (Page 611)

PEER-RE VI E WED CE Osteoarthritis in cats: What we now know about recognition and treatment An unkempt appearance. Hesitancy to jump onto a cozy spot. Even though many senior cats have radiographic evidence of degeneration, the signs of this painful condition can be subtle. Here’s what to look for and how to alleviate cats’ suffering. Sheilah A. Robertson, BVMS (Hons), PhD, DACVA, DECVA, CVA, MRCVS T he incidence of chronic pain in cats is not welldocumented but is associated with many conditions, including osteoarthritis, cancer, interstitial cystitis, dental and gum disease, and long-standing dermatitis and wounds. It is only recently that veterinarians have begun to appreciate what the true incidence of osteoarthritis, sometimes called degenerative joint disease, might be in cats. It appears to be much more common than previously thought and could be a major cause of discomfort, especially in senior (> 10 years of age) cats. DEGENERATIVE JOINT DISEASE VS. OSTEOARTHRITIS Although the terms degenerative joint disease and osteoarthritis are commonly used interchangeably in the veterinary arena, a distinction has been made between the two.1 Degenerative joint disease (DJD) is a general term used to describe any degenerative change in a synovial, cartilaginous, or brous articulation in the skeleton. Osteoarthritis, however, is a pathologic change of a diarthrodial synovial articulation and includes deterioration of articular cartilage, osteophyte formation, bone remodeling, soft tissue changes, and low-grade nonpurulent in ammation. Not all radiographic changes are correlated with a clinical problem. As veterinarians, we are most interested in changes that have a negative impact on a cat’s life because of pain and discomfort or because the cat can no longer perform normal functions such as jumping. PREVALENCE In one of the rst studies designed to determine the prevalence of DJD in cats, radiographs of 100 cats more than 12 years old (taken as part of a diagnostic work-up for multiple reasons) were retrospectively reviewed,2 and 90% of them showed radiographic evidence of DJD. When the medical records of these cats were examined, only four contained any mention of DJD, but severe DJD of the vertebral column (termed spondylosis deformans) was sometimes associated with neurologic disease. The key question from this study was “Did the failure to observe clinical signs truly represent a lack of clinical signs in the presence of radiographic ndings or a Molly Borman Sheilah A. Robertson, BVMS (Hons), PhD, DACVA, DECVA, CVA, MRCVS Section of Anesthesia and Pain Management College of Veterinary Medicine University of Florida Gainesville, FL 32610 VETERINARY MEDICINE November 2008 611

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Veterinary Medicine - November 2008

Veterinary Medicine - November 2008 Contents Leading Off Editors' Guest Just Ask the Expert Letters Practice Makes Perfect Clinical Exposures Practice Matters Idea Exchange Author Guidelines A Challenging Case: Esophageal Leiomyoma in a Dog Osteoarthritis in Cats: What We Now Know About Recognition and Treatment Product Preview CE Form/Advertiser Index Marketplace/Classifieds Mind Over Miller

Veterinary Medicine - November 2008

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