Genes influence cats' response to disease medication: Study

15 views | Dec 27, 2022, 03:07:19 PM | ANI
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Cats develop hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or HCM, which thickens their heart muscle. Cats can develop blood clots in their hearts as the illness develops, which could eventually dislodge and result in excruciating pain, anxiety, or even abrupt death. According to a study published in the Nature Portfolio journal 'Scientific Reports', Davis's faculty of veterinary medicine has discovered that a cat's DNA affects how it reacts to a life-saving drug used to treat HCM, a cardiac condition that affects one in seven cats. "We were consistently seeing cats that despite being on clopidogrel, were still forming blood clots," said corresponding author Josh Stern, professor of veterinary cardiology and geneticist with the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. This led Stern and the research team to begin research in this area and identify mutations in the drug pathway that looked important. Data showed that nearly 20% of cats had resistance to the clopidogrel therapy, which is widely used by practitioners all over the world.

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