Are non-smokers smarter than smokers?

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Cigarette smokers have lower IQs than non-smokers, and the more a person smokes, the lower their IQ, a study in over 20,000 Israeli military recruits suggests.

Young men who smoked a pack of cigarettes a day or more had IQ scores 7.5 points lower than non-smokers, Dr. Mark Weiser of Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer and his colleagues found.

"Adolescents with poorer IQ scores might be targeted for programmes designed to prevent smoking," they conclude in the journal Addiction.

While there is evidence for a link between smoking and lower IQ, many studies have relied on intelligence tests given in childhood, and have also included people with mental and behavioral problems, who are both more likely to smoke and more likely to have low IQs, Weiser and his team note in their report.

To better understand the smoking-IQ relationship, the researchers looked at 20,211 18-year-old men recruited into the Israeli military. The group did not include anyone with major mental health problems, because these individuals are disqualified from military service.

According to the investigators, 28 percent of the study participants smoked at least one cigarette a day, around 3 percent said they were ex-smokers, and 68 percent had never smoked.

The smokers had significantly lower intelligence test scores than non-smokers, and this remained true even after the researchers accounted for socioeconomic status as measured by how many years of formal education a recruit's father had completed.

The average IQ for non-smokers was about 101, while it was 94 for men who had started smoking before entering the military. IQ steadily dropped as the number of cigarettes smoked increased, from 98 for people who smoked one to five cigarettes daily to 90 for those who smoked more than a pack a day. IQ scores from 84 to 116 are considered to indicate average intelligence.

Recruits aren't allowed to smoke while intelligence tests are administered, the researchers note, so it's possible that withdrawal symptoms might affect smokers' scores. To address this issue, they also looked at IQ scores for men who were non-smokers when they were 18 but started smoking during their military service. These men also scored lower than never-smokers (97 points, on average), "indicating that nicotine withdrawal was probably not the cause of the difference," the researchers say.

The researchers also compared IQs for 70 pairs of brothers in the group in which one brother smoked and the other did not. Again, average IQs for the non-smoking sibling were higher than for the smokers.

The findings suggest that lower IQ individuals are more likely to choose to smoke, rather than that smoking makes people less intelligent, Weiser and his team conclude.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Cigarette smokers have lower IQs than non-smokers, and the more a person smokes, the lower their IQ, a study in over 20,000 Israeli military recruits suggests.

Young men who smoked a pack of cigarettes a day or more had IQ scores 7.5 points lower than non-smokers, Dr. Mark Weiser of Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer and his colleagues found.

"Adolescents with poorer IQ scores might be targeted for programmes designed to prevent smoking," they conclude in the journal Addiction.

While there is evidence for a link between smoking and lower IQ, many studies have relied on intelligence tests given in childhood, and have also included people with mental and behavioral problems, who are both more likely to smoke and more likely to have low IQs, Weiser and his team note in their report.

To better understand the smoking-IQ relationship, the researchers looked at 20,211 18-year-old men recruited into the Israeli military. The group did not include anyone with major mental health problems, because these individuals are disqualified from military service.

According to the investigators, 28 percent of the study participants smoked at least one cigarette a day, around 3 percent said they were ex-smokers, and 68 percent had never smoked.

The smokers had significantly lower intelligence test scores than non-smokers, and this remained true even after the researchers accounted for socioeconomic status as measured by how many years of formal education a recruit's father had completed.

The average IQ for non-smokers was about 101, while it was 94 for men who had started smoking before entering the military. IQ steadily dropped as the number of cigarettes smoked increased, from 98 for people who smoked one to five cigarettes daily to 90 for those who smoked more than a pack a day. IQ scores from 84 to 116 are considered to indicate average intelligence.

Recruits aren't allowed to smoke while intelligence tests are administered, the researchers note, so it's possible that withdrawal symptoms might affect smokers' scores. To address this issue, they also looked at IQ scores for men who were non-smokers when they were 18 but started smoking during their military service. These men also scored lower than never-smokers (97 points, on average), "indicating that nicotine withdrawal was probably not the cause of the difference," the researchers say.

The researchers also compared IQs for 70 pairs of brothers in the group in which one brother smoked and the other did not. Again, average IQs for the non-smoking sibling were higher than for the smokers.

The findings suggest that lower IQ individuals are more likely to choose to smoke, rather than that smoking makes people less intelligent, Weiser and his team conclude.

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Treatment of Feline Asthma

Cohn LA, DeClue AE, Cohen RL, Reinero CR. Effects of fluticasone propionate dosage in an experimental model of feline asthma. J Feline Med Surg. 2010;12(2):91-96.

Feline inflammatory bronchial diseases (e.g., asthma and chronic bronchitis) are common lower respiratory diseases in cats. The mainstay of therapy for inflammatory airway disease is the administration of glucocorticoids (GCs). Glucocorticoid use is indicated for the treatment of asthma and chronic bronchitis, yet GCs are associated with the potential for adverse side effects. Systemic side effects and the resultant adverse effects can be minimized with the use of topical application of GC to the airways via an inhalational delivery system. The authors utilized a randomized, cross-over study design to investigate the ability of three different dosages of the inhalant GC fluticasone proprionate (Flovent HFA) delivered by a metered dose inhaler to ameliorate eosinophilic airway inflammation in cats with experimentally induced allergic airway inflammation. In addition, suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis at each dose was assessed. Fluticasone was administered at dosages of 44,110, or 220 mcg administered every 12 hours to six cats. All three-dosage regimens of fluticasone resulted in significant amelioration of airway eosinophilia. None of the dose regimens tested caused HPAA suppression. The conclusion was that a twice-daily dose of 44 mcg fluticasone should be evaluated for the management of naturally occurring inflammatory bronchial disease in cats. This is important because fluticasone is a costly drug, and the lower strengths are less expensive than the higher strengths. [VT]

Related articles:
Padrid P. Use of inhaled medications to treat respiratory diseases in dogs and cats. J Am Anim Hosp Assoc. 2006;42(2):165-169.

Reinero CR, Delgado C, Spinka C, DeClue AE, Dhand R. Enantiomer-specific effects of albuterol on airway inflammation in healthy and asthmatic cats. Int Arch Allergy Immunol. 2009;150(1):43-50.

More on cat health: Winn Feline Foundation Library
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New for 2010: subscribe to our e-newsletter

Cohn LA, DeClue AE, Cohen RL, Reinero CR. Effects of fluticasone propionate dosage in an experimental model of feline asthma. J Feline Med Surg. 2010;12(2):91-96.

Feline inflammatory bronchial diseases (e.g., asthma and chronic bronchitis) are common lower respiratory diseases in cats. The mainstay of therapy for inflammatory airway disease is the administration of glucocorticoids (GCs). Glucocorticoid use is indicated for the treatment of asthma and chronic bronchitis, yet GCs are associated with the potential for adverse side effects. Systemic side effects and the resultant adverse effects can be minimized with the use of topical application of GC to the airways via an inhalational delivery system. The authors utilized a randomized, cross-over study design to investigate the ability of three different dosages of the inhalant GC fluticasone proprionate (Flovent HFA) delivered by a metered dose inhaler to ameliorate eosinophilic airway inflammation in cats with experimentally induced allergic airway inflammation. In addition, suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis at each dose was assessed. Fluticasone was administered at dosages of 44,110, or 220 mcg administered every 12 hours to six cats. All three-dosage regimens of fluticasone resulted in significant amelioration of airway eosinophilia. None of the dose regimens tested caused HPAA suppression. The conclusion was that a twice-daily dose of 44 mcg fluticasone should be evaluated for the management of naturally occurring inflammatory bronchial disease in cats. This is important because fluticasone is a costly drug, and the lower strengths are less expensive than the higher strengths. [VT]

Related articles:
Padrid P. Use of inhaled medications to treat respiratory diseases in dogs and cats. J Am Anim Hosp Assoc. 2006;42(2):165-169.

Reinero CR, Delgado C, Spinka C, DeClue AE, Dhand R. Enantiomer-specific effects of albuterol on airway inflammation in healthy and asthmatic cats. Int Arch Allergy Immunol. 2009;150(1):43-50.

More on cat health: Winn Feline Foundation Library
Join us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
New for 2010: subscribe to our e-newsletter

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Exercise Reduces Anxiety of Chronic Disease

Exercise may benefit the mental well-being of those with chronic illnesses such as heart disease and cancer, a new study suggests.

The results show that patients who participated in exercise training programs reported, on average, a 20 percent reduction in their anxiety symptoms compared to those who did not exercise.

Such feelings of worry and nervousness are common among patients with chronic diseases and may decrease their quality of life and make them less likely to stick to treatment plans, the researchers say. However, the study indicates that exercise may offer a way to treat anxiety without using prescription drugs that may cause adverse side effects, they say.

"Our findings add to the growing body of evidence that physical activities such as walking or weightlifting may turn out to be the best medicine that physicians can prescribe to help their patients feel less anxious," said study-author Matthew Herring, a doctoral student in the department of kinesiology at the University of Georgia.

Low-cost and effective treatments for anxiety will become even more necessary with an increasingly aging population, Herring said.

While much research has focused on the role of exercise in alleviating depression symptoms, comparatively few studies have specifically examined the effect of exercise on anxiety, according to Herring.

Herring and his colleagues analyzed the results of 40 so-called "randomized clinical trials," a type of study that is often looked upon as providing the highest quality research evidence. The studies involved nearly 3,000 patients with chronic conditions, including heart disease, cancer, multiple sclerosis and chronic arthritis pain.

The largest reductions in anxiety were seen in patients who exercised for more than 30 minutes during a single session.

In terms of the entire program length, shorter programs, around three to 12 weeks, were actually found to be more effective than longer ones at decreasing anxiety symptoms. The researchers speculate this result may be due to the tendency for patients not to follow through with longer training programs. "Better participation rates likely will result in greater anxiety reductions," Herring told LiveScience in an email.

The researchers note that many of the reviewed studies did not include sufficient information on how well participants adhered to their exercise program, or whether they were taking other medications, which may have influenced the study's results. Future studies should address these shortcomings to better understand how much exercise is needed to decrease anxiety, the researchers say. In addition, research should include "understudied" diseases, such as lupus and epilepsy, and examine the effects of exercises that are perhaps not as widely used, such as resistant training, they say.

Exercise may benefit the mental well-being of those with chronic illnesses such as heart disease and cancer, a new study suggests.

The results show that patients who participated in exercise training programs reported, on average, a 20 percent reduction in their anxiety symptoms compared to those who did not exercise.

Such feelings of worry and nervousness are common among patients with chronic diseases and may decrease their quality of life and make them less likely to stick to treatment plans, the researchers say. However, the study indicates that exercise may offer a way to treat anxiety without using prescription drugs that may cause adverse side effects, they say.

"Our findings add to the growing body of evidence that physical activities such as walking or weightlifting may turn out to be the best medicine that physicians can prescribe to help their patients feel less anxious," said study-author Matthew Herring, a doctoral student in the department of kinesiology at the University of Georgia.

Low-cost and effective treatments for anxiety will become even more necessary with an increasingly aging population, Herring said.

While much research has focused on the role of exercise in alleviating depression symptoms, comparatively few studies have specifically examined the effect of exercise on anxiety, according to Herring.

Herring and his colleagues analyzed the results of 40 so-called "randomized clinical trials," a type of study that is often looked upon as providing the highest quality research evidence. The studies involved nearly 3,000 patients with chronic conditions, including heart disease, cancer, multiple sclerosis and chronic arthritis pain.

The largest reductions in anxiety were seen in patients who exercised for more than 30 minutes during a single session.

In terms of the entire program length, shorter programs, around three to 12 weeks, were actually found to be more effective than longer ones at decreasing anxiety symptoms. The researchers speculate this result may be due to the tendency for patients not to follow through with longer training programs. "Better participation rates likely will result in greater anxiety reductions," Herring told LiveScience in an email.

The researchers note that many of the reviewed studies did not include sufficient information on how well participants adhered to their exercise program, or whether they were taking other medications, which may have influenced the study's results. Future studies should address these shortcomings to better understand how much exercise is needed to decrease anxiety, the researchers say. In addition, research should include "understudied" diseases, such as lupus and epilepsy, and examine the effects of exercises that are perhaps not as widely used, such as resistant training, they say.

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Vitamin B3 Shows Early Promise in Treatment of Stroke

An early study suggests that vitamin B3 or niacin, a common water-soluble vitamin, may help improve neurological function after stroke, according to Henry Ford Hospital researchers.

When rats with ischemic stroke were given niacin, their brains showed growth of new blood vessels, and sprouting of nerve cells which greatly improved neurological outcome.

Now research is underway at Henry Ford to investigate the effects of an extended-release form of niacin on stroke patients. Henry Ford is the only site nationally conducting such a study.

"If this proves to also work well in our human trials, we'll then have the benefit of a low-cost, easily-tolerable treatment for one of the most neurologically devastating conditions," Michael Chopp, Ph.D., scientific director of the Henry Ford Neuroscience Institute.

Dr. Chopp will present results from the animal model study at the International Stroke Conference in San Antonio.

According to the National Stroke Association, stroke is the third-leading cause of death in America and a leading cause of disability.

Ischemic strokes occur as a result of an obstruction within a blood vessel supplying blood to the brain. Ischemic stroke accounts for about 87 percent of all cases. One underlying condition for this type of obstruction is the development of fatty cholesterol deposits lining the vessel walls.

Niacin is known to be the most effective medicine in current clinical use for increasing high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), which helps those fatty deposits.

Dr. Chopp and his colleagues found that in animals niacin helps restore neurological function in the brain following stroke.

In 2009, stroke physicians at Henry Ford Hospital published research which showed that HDL-C is abnormally low at the time stroke patients arrive at the hospital.

Dr. Chopp's research found that in animals, niacin increased "good" cholesterol (HDL-C), which increased blood vessels in the brain and axonal and dendritic growth leading to a substantial improvement in neurological function.

"Niacin essentially re-wires the brain which has very exciting potential for use in humans," says Dr. Chopp. "The results of this study may also open doors in other areas of neurological medicine, including brain injury."

Andrew Russman, D.O., is the principal investigator of the team at Henry Ford Hospital who will evaluate in clinical trials whether niacin improves recovery for human stroke patients.

"If we are able to prove that treating patients with niacin helps to restore neurological function after stroke, we're opening a whole new avenue of treatment for the leading cause of serious long-term disability in adults," says Dr. Russman.

An early study suggests that vitamin B3 or niacin, a common water-soluble vitamin, may help improve neurological function after stroke, according to Henry Ford Hospital researchers.

When rats with ischemic stroke were given niacin, their brains showed growth of new blood vessels, and sprouting of nerve cells which greatly improved neurological outcome.

Now research is underway at Henry Ford to investigate the effects of an extended-release form of niacin on stroke patients. Henry Ford is the only site nationally conducting such a study.

"If this proves to also work well in our human trials, we'll then have the benefit of a low-cost, easily-tolerable treatment for one of the most neurologically devastating conditions," Michael Chopp, Ph.D., scientific director of the Henry Ford Neuroscience Institute.

Dr. Chopp will present results from the animal model study at the International Stroke Conference in San Antonio.

According to the National Stroke Association, stroke is the third-leading cause of death in America and a leading cause of disability.

Ischemic strokes occur as a result of an obstruction within a blood vessel supplying blood to the brain. Ischemic stroke accounts for about 87 percent of all cases. One underlying condition for this type of obstruction is the development of fatty cholesterol deposits lining the vessel walls.

Niacin is known to be the most effective medicine in current clinical use for increasing high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), which helps those fatty deposits.

Dr. Chopp and his colleagues found that in animals niacin helps restore neurological function in the brain following stroke.

In 2009, stroke physicians at Henry Ford Hospital published research which showed that HDL-C is abnormally low at the time stroke patients arrive at the hospital.

Dr. Chopp's research found that in animals, niacin increased "good" cholesterol (HDL-C), which increased blood vessels in the brain and axonal and dendritic growth leading to a substantial improvement in neurological function.

"Niacin essentially re-wires the brain which has very exciting potential for use in humans," says Dr. Chopp. "The results of this study may also open doors in other areas of neurological medicine, including brain injury."

Andrew Russman, D.O., is the principal investigator of the team at Henry Ford Hospital who will evaluate in clinical trials whether niacin improves recovery for human stroke patients.

"If we are able to prove that treating patients with niacin helps to restore neurological function after stroke, we're opening a whole new avenue of treatment for the leading cause of serious long-term disability in adults," says Dr. Russman.

Read More

Exercise Reduces Anxiety of Chronic Disease

Exercise may benefit the mental well-being of those with chronic illnesses such as heart disease and cancer, a new study suggests.

The results show that patients who participated in exercise training programs reported, on average, a 20 percent reduction in their anxiety symptoms compared to those who did not exercise.

Such feelings of worry and nervousness are common among patients with chronic diseases and may decrease their quality of life and make them less likely to stick to treatment plans, the researchers say. However, the study indicates that exercise may offer a way to treat anxiety without using prescription drugs that may cause adverse side effects, they say.

"Our findings add to the growing body of evidence that physical activities such as walking or weightlifting may turn out to be the best medicine that physicians can prescribe to help their patients feel less anxious," said study-author Matthew Herring, a doctoral student in the department of kinesiology at the University of Georgia.

Low-cost and effective treatments for anxiety will become even more necessary with an increasingly aging population, Herring said.

While much research has focused on the role of exercise in alleviating depression symptoms, comparatively few studies have specifically examined the effect of exercise on anxiety, according to Herring.

Herring and his colleagues analyzed the results of 40 so-called "randomized clinical trials," a type of study that is often looked upon as providing the highest quality research evidence. The studies involved nearly 3,000 patients with chronic conditions, including heart disease, cancer, multiple sclerosis and chronic arthritis pain.

The largest reductions in anxiety were seen in patients who exercised for more than 30 minutes during a single session.

In terms of the entire program length, shorter programs, around three to 12 weeks, were actually found to be more effective than longer ones at decreasing anxiety symptoms. The researchers speculate this result may be due to the tendency for patients not to follow through with longer training programs. "Better participation rates likely will result in greater anxiety reductions," Herring told LiveScience in an email.

The researchers note that many of the reviewed studies did not include sufficient information on how well participants adhered to their exercise program, or whether they were taking other medications, which may have influenced the study's results. Future studies should address these shortcomings to better understand how much exercise is needed to decrease anxiety, the researchers say. In addition, research should include "understudied" diseases, such as lupus and epilepsy, and examine the effects of exercises that are perhaps not as widely used, such as resistant training, they say.

Exercise may benefit the mental well-being of those with chronic illnesses such as heart disease and cancer, a new study suggests.

The results show that patients who participated in exercise training programs reported, on average, a 20 percent reduction in their anxiety symptoms compared to those who did not exercise.

Such feelings of worry and nervousness are common among patients with chronic diseases and may decrease their quality of life and make them less likely to stick to treatment plans, the researchers say. However, the study indicates that exercise may offer a way to treat anxiety without using prescription drugs that may cause adverse side effects, they say.

"Our findings add to the growing body of evidence that physical activities such as walking or weightlifting may turn out to be the best medicine that physicians can prescribe to help their patients feel less anxious," said study-author Matthew Herring, a doctoral student in the department of kinesiology at the University of Georgia.

Low-cost and effective treatments for anxiety will become even more necessary with an increasingly aging population, Herring said.

While much research has focused on the role of exercise in alleviating depression symptoms, comparatively few studies have specifically examined the effect of exercise on anxiety, according to Herring.

Herring and his colleagues analyzed the results of 40 so-called "randomized clinical trials," a type of study that is often looked upon as providing the highest quality research evidence. The studies involved nearly 3,000 patients with chronic conditions, including heart disease, cancer, multiple sclerosis and chronic arthritis pain.

The largest reductions in anxiety were seen in patients who exercised for more than 30 minutes during a single session.

In terms of the entire program length, shorter programs, around three to 12 weeks, were actually found to be more effective than longer ones at decreasing anxiety symptoms. The researchers speculate this result may be due to the tendency for patients not to follow through with longer training programs. "Better participation rates likely will result in greater anxiety reductions," Herring told LiveScience in an email.

The researchers note that many of the reviewed studies did not include sufficient information on how well participants adhered to their exercise program, or whether they were taking other medications, which may have influenced the study's results. Future studies should address these shortcomings to better understand how much exercise is needed to decrease anxiety, the researchers say. In addition, research should include "understudied" diseases, such as lupus and epilepsy, and examine the effects of exercises that are perhaps not as widely used, such as resistant training, they say.

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The Claim: To Cut Calories, Eat Slowly

For ages, mothers have admonished children at the dinner table to slow down and chew their food. Apparently, they’re onto something.

Researchers have found evidence over the years that when people wolf their food, they end up consuming more calories than they would at a slower pace. One reason is the effect of quicker ingestion on hormones.

In a study last month, scientists found that when a group of subjects were given an identical serving of ice cream on different occasions, they released more hormones that made them feel full when they ate it in 30 minutes instead of 5 . The scientists took blood samples and measured insulin and gut hormones before, during and after eating. They found that two hormones that signal feelings of satiety, or fullness — glucagon-like peptide-1 and peptide YY — showed a more pronounced response in the slow condition.

Ultimately, that leads to eating less, as another study published in The Journal of the American Dietetic Association suggested in 2008. In that study, subjects reported greater satiety and consumed roughly 10 percent fewer calories when they ate at a slow pace compared with times when they gobbled down their food. In another study of 3,000 people in The British Medical Journal, those who reported eating quickly and eating until full had triple the risk of being overweight compared with others.

In other words, experts say, it can’t hurt to slow down and savor your meals.

For ages, mothers have admonished children at the dinner table to slow down and chew their food. Apparently, they’re onto something.

Researchers have found evidence over the years that when people wolf their food, they end up consuming more calories than they would at a slower pace. One reason is the effect of quicker ingestion on hormones.

In a study last month, scientists found that when a group of subjects were given an identical serving of ice cream on different occasions, they released more hormones that made them feel full when they ate it in 30 minutes instead of 5 . The scientists took blood samples and measured insulin and gut hormones before, during and after eating. They found that two hormones that signal feelings of satiety, or fullness — glucagon-like peptide-1 and peptide YY — showed a more pronounced response in the slow condition.

Ultimately, that leads to eating less, as another study published in The Journal of the American Dietetic Association suggested in 2008. In that study, subjects reported greater satiety and consumed roughly 10 percent fewer calories when they ate at a slow pace compared with times when they gobbled down their food. In another study of 3,000 people in The British Medical Journal, those who reported eating quickly and eating until full had triple the risk of being overweight compared with others.

In other words, experts say, it can’t hurt to slow down and savor your meals.

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FIV and Kidney Disease in Cats

White JD, Malik R, Norris JM, Malikides N. Association between naturally occurring chronic kidney disease and feline immunodeficiency virus infection status in cats. J Am Vet Med Assoc. Feb 15 2010;236(4):424-429.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is well known in older cats. In most cases, the underlying cause is never identified. CKD appears more common in young male cats and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is also common in these cats, raising the question of whether the two are related. To investigate a potential association between chronic kidney disease and FIV in cats in Australia, a case-control study was designed. The study included 73 cats with CKD and 69 cats with no evidence of CKD. All cats were tested for FIV antibodies and information on age, breed and gender was gathered. The cats were divided into two age groups - under 11 years old and over 11 years old. Statistical analysis was performed to investigate any relationship between CKD and FIV, and with the other variables. Among cats under 11 years old, those with CKD were significantly more likely to be infected with FIV than cats without CKD. It was not possible to determine if infection with FIV occurred before the cats developed CKD. The role of FIV in the development of CKD disease requires further research. [SL]

Related articles:
White JD, Norris JM, Baral RM, Malik R. Naturally-occurring chronic renal disease in Australian cats: a prospective study of 184 cases. Aust Vet J. Jun 2006;84(6):188-194.

Norris JM, Bell ET, Hales L, et al. Prevalence of feline immunodeficiency virus infection in domesticated and feral cats in eastern Australia. J Feline Med Surg. Aug 2007;9(4):300-308.

More on cat health: Winn Feline Foundation Library
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New for 2010: subscribe to our e-newsletter

White JD, Malik R, Norris JM, Malikides N. Association between naturally occurring chronic kidney disease and feline immunodeficiency virus infection status in cats. J Am Vet Med Assoc. Feb 15 2010;236(4):424-429.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is well known in older cats. In most cases, the underlying cause is never identified. CKD appears more common in young male cats and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is also common in these cats, raising the question of whether the two are related. To investigate a potential association between chronic kidney disease and FIV in cats in Australia, a case-control study was designed. The study included 73 cats with CKD and 69 cats with no evidence of CKD. All cats were tested for FIV antibodies and information on age, breed and gender was gathered. The cats were divided into two age groups - under 11 years old and over 11 years old. Statistical analysis was performed to investigate any relationship between CKD and FIV, and with the other variables. Among cats under 11 years old, those with CKD were significantly more likely to be infected with FIV than cats without CKD. It was not possible to determine if infection with FIV occurred before the cats developed CKD. The role of FIV in the development of CKD disease requires further research. [SL]

Related articles:
White JD, Norris JM, Baral RM, Malik R. Naturally-occurring chronic renal disease in Australian cats: a prospective study of 184 cases. Aust Vet J. Jun 2006;84(6):188-194.

Norris JM, Bell ET, Hales L, et al. Prevalence of feline immunodeficiency virus infection in domesticated and feral cats in eastern Australia. J Feline Med Surg. Aug 2007;9(4):300-308.

More on cat health: Winn Feline Foundation Library
Join us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
New for 2010: subscribe to our e-newsletter

Read More