Associations among echocardiography, cardiac biomarkers, insulin metabolism, morphology, and inflammation in cats with asymptomatic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

BACKGROUND: Insulin, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), and inflammation possibly are involved in cats with asymptomatic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (aHCM). OBJECTIVES: To evaluate echocardiography, morphology, cardiac and inflammatory markers, insulin and IGF-1 in cats with aHCM. ANIMALS: Fifty-one client-owned cats with aHCM. METHODS: Observational descriptive study. Variables (body weight [BW], body condition score [BCS], echocardiography, and serum concentrations of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide [NT-proBNP], ultra-sensitive troponin-I [c-TnI], serum amyloid A [SAA], insulin, glucose and IGF-1) were evaluated for significant increases above echocardiography cutoff values and laboratory reference ranges, associations and effect of left atrial (LA) remodeling and generalized hypertrophy. RESULTS: Cats with aHCM had BCS >/=6/9 (P = .01) and insulin (P /=6 mm thickness (rho = .28; P = .05). Body weight and BCS were associated with IGF-1 (r = 0.44; P = .001), and insulin (rho = .33; P = .02), glucose (rho = .29; P = .04) and IGF-1 (rho = .32; P = .02), respectively. Concentrations of NT-proBNP (P = .02) and c-TnI (P = .01), and SAA (P = .02), were higher in cats with LA remodeling, and generalized hypertrophy, respectively. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Results suggest potential implications of insulin, IGF-1, and inflammation in cats with aHCM, but it remains to be confirmed whether these findings represent a physiological process or a part of the pathogenesis and development of disease.