Average survival of cats diagnosed with HCM is a further 3.5 years per a study

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This is a remarkable study for its conclusion. It was conducted in 2010.The scientists evaluated a population of 127 cats who'd been treated at the Royal Veterinary College Queen Mother Hospital for Animals in the UK between 1997 and 2005. The cats included some purebred cat including Ragdolls.


They concluded that "Overall median survival from date of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy diagnosis at the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals was 1276 days". 

This is saying that cats taken to this animal hospital for diagnosis and having been diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) lived for a further 3.5 years. 

Comment: a very short time. Clearly the age of the cat when diagnosed is a factor which dictates the length of time that they have to live.  Younger cats lived longer after being diagnosed with HCM. That's pretty obvious and HCM can affect young cats around 4 months old.

That said, we know that Maine Coons and Ragdolls are just 2 breeds with a history of HCM. The Bengal is in this class of cats too.

The study concluded that "Ragdolls were over-represented" meaning that the Ragdoll cat breed were more predisposed to HCM than the other cats in the study. 

They said that the breed and the size of the left atrial were also factors dictating the duration of the remainder of their lives.

The left atrial is one of two upper chambers of the heart pumping blood to the lower ventricle.

Link to study: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-5827.2010.00989.x. Study: Population characteristics and survival in 127 referred cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (1997 to 2005)
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Please excuse the occasional typo due to preparing these articles at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I don't have a proof reader.


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