Investigations on polycystic kidney degeneration in Persian cats

In the present study, 192 Persian cats were investigated in a voluntary ser ial survey over a period of three years with, regard to the presence of a p olycystic kidney disease (PKD). In 57 animals, kidney cysts were diagnosed. Of these, ten cats had solitary cysts in one (n = 8) or both (n = 2) kidne ys, and 47 cats had multiple cysts, in all cases with involvement of both k idneys and varying number and size of cysts. In a family of Persian cats wi th PKD, familial accumulation of the disease was found. With one exception, the cats with solitary cysts did not show signs of renal disease. In the c ontrol examination, no progression of the disease was noted, so that progno sis in animals with solitary cysts appears to be good. In Eats with polycys tic kidney degeneration, the plasma value of urea and creatinine were incon stantly elevated. Clinical manifestation of the nephropathy was thus not un iform, as young and older animals had equally elevated kidney values. Betwe en four and seven years of age, the disease is more frequent. Even when usi ng very sensitive techniques for early diagnosis of renal disease, such as glomerular filtration rate, SDS-Page and szintigraphy, the point of manifes tation of the renal failure could not be defined more clearly. At the contr ol examination, more than half of the animals was deceased or put to sleep because of a terminal nephropathy. In the other cases, the disease had prog ressed at that point of time, so that the prognosis must on the whole be as sessed as guarded to poor. Because the disease is inherited in autosomal do minant fashion and the disease progresses incontrollably, breeding control in Germany must urgently be initiated.