Vitamin D Status Predicts 30 Day Mortality in Hospitalised Cats

Abstract

Vitamin D insufficiency, defined as low serum concentrations of the major circulating form of vitamin D, 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), has been associated with the development of numerous infectious, inflammatory, and neoplastic disorders in humans. In addition, vitamin D insufficiency has been found to be predictive of mortality for many disorders. However, interpretation of human studies is difficult since vitamin D status is influenced by many factors, including diet, season, latitude, and exposure to UV radiation. In contrast, domesticated cats do not produce vitamin D cutaneously, and most cats are fed a commercial diet containing a relatively standard amount of vitamin D. Consequently, domesticated cats are an attractive model system in which to examine the relationship between serum 25(OH)D and health outcomes. The hypothesis of this study was that vitamin D status would predict short term, all-cause mortality in domesticated cats. Serum concentrations of 25(OH)D, together with a wide range of other clinical, hematological, and biochemical parameters, were measured in 99 consecutively hospitalised cats. Cats which died within 30 days of initial assessment had significantly lower serum 25(OH)D concentrations than cats which survived. In a linear regression model including 12 clinical variables, serum 25(OH)D concentration in the lower tertile was significantly predictive of mortality. The odds ratio of mortality within 30 days was 8.27 (95% confidence interval 2.54-31.52) for cats with a serum 25(OH)D concentration in the lower tertile. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that low serum 25(OH)D concentration status is an independent predictor of short term mortality in cats.

Vitamin D status in cats with feline immunodeficiency virus

“…It has been demonstrated that low serum concentrations 25(OH)D are associated with an increased risk of 30 day mortality in sick cats (Titmarsh et al . ). In addition it has been shown that low vitamin D status is associated with a poorer response to prednisolone treatment for canine atopic skin disease (Kovalik et al .…”

“…Less is known about the relationship between vitamin D status and disease outcomes in cats although studies have documented low serum 25 (OH)D levels in diseases including inflammatory bowel disease, gastrointestinal lymphoma and mycobacterial infection (Lalor et al 2012(Lalor et al , 2014. It has been demonstrated that low serum concentrations 25(OH)D are associated with an increased risk of 30 day mortality in sick cats (Titmarsh et al 2015). In addition it has been shown that low vitamin D status is associated with a poorer response to prednisolone treatment for canine atopic skin disease (Kovalik et al 2012b).…”

Beyond the skeleton: the role of vitamin D in companion animal health

“…A recent study on all‐cause mortality in cats found that cats with low serum 25(OH)D concentrations had a significant higher risk of mortality (Titmarsh et al . ). The study evaluated the ability of a range of clinical and biochemical data including sex, age, breed, appetite, total white blood cells, packed cell volume and serum concentrations of albumin, total calcium, creatinine, sodium, potassium and 25(OH)D concentration to predict mortality by 30 days.…”

“…A recent study on all-cause mortality in cats found that cats with low serum 25(OH)D concentrations had a significant higher risk of mortality (Titmarsh et al . 2015b ).…”

Vitamin D status is heritable and under environment-dependent selection in the wild

“…Vitamin D is a critical component in the development and maintenance of skeletal health 1 . However, current research suggests that vitamin D may also have wider biomedical effects, with studies linking vitamin D insufficiency to increased risk of mortality in humans and companion animals [2][3][4] , as well as reproductive failure, low birth weight, infertility and reduced litter sizes in humans, rats and mice [5][6][7][8] . This link suggests that vitamin D status may be associated with fitness in natural populations, yet there have been no investigations into the causes and consequences of its variation in wild populations.…”