Personalized medicine for cats with heart disease
Study: Genes influence response to medication
Veterinarians at UC Davis have found that a cat’s DNA alters how it responds to a life-saving medication used to treat hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or HCM, a heart disease that affects 1 in 7 cats. The study was published in the Nature Portfolio journal, Scientific Reports.
HCM causes a cat’s heart muscle to thicken. As the condition worsens, cats can form blood clots in their hearts that may later dislodge and cause extreme pain, distress and even sudden death. Clopidogrel, or Plavix®, is one of the most commonly prescribed medications used to prevent blood clots in cats with HCM.