HYPERLIPOPROTEINEMIA ASSOCIATED WITH ATHEROSCLEROSIS AND CUTANEOUS XANTHOMATOSIS IN A CAT

Bilateral uveitis and multiple xanthomas (fat deposits in the skin) ar e described in a 3.5-year-old ovariohysterectomized female Persian cat . The cat had been treated for 2 years with corticosteroids, Examinati ons included a routine blood chemistry profile, radiographic examinati on of the thorax and abdomen, histopathological examination of multipl e skin punch biopsies, and analysis of blood lipid components by cellu lose-acetate electrophoresis and by preparative ultracentrifugation st udies, Total lipid values were 23 g/l. Ultracentrifugation studies ind icated strongly elevated VLDL and LDL fractions and a decreased concen tration of the HDL fraction. Because of sudden blindness the cat was e uthanized at the request of the owner. Autopsy revealed massive athero sclerotic changes in the large abdominal vessels, the wall of the aort a, and the coronary vessels. Although the exact pathogenesis remains u ncertain, these unusual findings might be explained by a primary hyper lipoproteinaemia, complicated by long-term use of corticosteroids.