Systolic hypertension in cats with diabetes mellitus

Introduction Hypertension is an extremely common co-morbidity in human patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). Although cats are often given as an animal model for type 2 diabetes, there have been few investigations of the association of hypertension with DM in cats. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of hypertension in diabetic cats and of DM in cats with hypertensive retinopathy. Materials and Methods Systolic blood pressure was measured indirectly in 30 ambulant and twelve stationary diabetic cats using Doppler ultrasonic sphygmomanometry. Blood pressure was rated according to the risk of target-organ damage (TOD) and control examinations were recommended in cats with a blood pressure >= 150 mm Hg. To examine the prevalence of DM in cats with TOD, blood (glucose, fructosamine and B-hydroxybutyric acid) and urine (glucose, acetoacetate) examinations were performed in 45 cats evaluated for hypertensive retinopathy. Results The initial evaluation identified a mild, moderate or severe risk of TOD in six (20 %), three (10 %) and five (17 %) of the ambulant diabetic patients, respectively. The recommended re-assessment was performed in eleven (79 %) cats and hypertension was confirmed in six (54 %) of them. Five of these cats (two with hyperadrenocorticism, one with hyperthyroidism and one with chronic kidney disease) reproducibly had a blood pressure >= 180 mmHg. No correlation was found between hypertension and time since DM diagnosis, insulin dosage/kg, glucose, fructosamine or beta-hydroxybutyric acid concentration. Although 50 % of the stationary diabetic patients had a blood pressure >= 150 mmHg, none had a severe risk of TOD and the mean blood pressure was comparable to that of the control group. DM was identified in one (2.2 %) cat with hypertensive retinopathy and primary hyperaldosteronism. Conclusion The results suggest that hypertension is common in cats with DM and blood pressure measurements should form part of the routine examination. Conclusion The results suggest that hypertension is common in cats with DM and blood pressure measurements should form part of the routine examination.