All cats underwent 2-dimensional and M-mode echocardiography. Nitric oxide was assessed indirectly by measuring the concentration of plasma nitrite+nitrate (NN), end products of nitric oxide metabolism. Plasma arginine concentration and dietary arginine content were also assessed since arginine is a precursor for nitric oxide production.
Twenty-six cats with cardiomyopathy, 26 cats with cardiomyopathy and ATE, and 29 nor-mal cats were enrolled. Compared with healthy controls, median NN concentration was significantly higher in cats with cardiomyopathy and cats with both cardiomyopathy and ATE. There was no difference between cats with cardiomyopathy alone and cats with cardiomyopathy and ATE. Nitrate+ nitrite concen-tration in cats with cardiac disease was unrelated to the presence of CHF, plasma arginine concentration, or dietary arginine content. In cats with cardiac disease, the left atrial diameter, left ven-tricular diameter in diastole, and age were negatively correlated with NN concentrations.
Nitric oxide concentration is elevated in cats with cardiac disease, but the elevation appears to be independent of ATE and CHF.
Source: Freeman, L.M., McMichael, M.A., de Laforcade, A.M., Rozanski, E.A., Brown, D.J., Rush, J.E. (2003): Indirect determination of nitric oxide in cats with cardiomyopathy and arterial thromboembolism.
In: Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care 13 (2), pp. 71-76.
www.blackwell-synergy.com/links/doi: 10.1046/
j.1435-6935.2003.00085.x
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