Hereditary diseases of cats

Cats with Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) have large, irregularly shaped kidneys containing multiple, varying sizes of cysts located along the renal cortex and medulla. Cysts are numerous, filled with fluid, resulting in significant kidney enlargement. Polycostosis of the kidney affects about 6% of cats worldwide. The disease is significantly common in Persian cats: as of 2004, about 38% were sick. The age of development of the disease can vary greatly from several months to 7-8 years, depending on the sex, breed and lifestyle of the animal. The disease is usually characterized by late onset and progressive bilateral development of cysts, accompanied by an increase in the size of the kidneys. The formation of cysts begins in utero in various parts of the nephron. Despite the fact that less than 5% of the total number of nephrons is involved in the development of cysts, fluid accumulates in the cysts, which leads to a significant increase in the size and deformation of the nephron, compression of the adjacent renal parenchyma and the gradual cessation of kidney function. Polycostosis of the kidneys develops with renal failure at different ages (as a rule, by the age of seven, the disease always develops), some sick cats may have hepatobiliary cysts, as well as hyperplasia and fibrosis of the bile ducts. Immunohistochemical staining of the affected tissues demonstrates the displacement of Na / K-ATPase from the basolateral membrane of epithelial cells lining the cysts into the cytoplasm or membrane lumen. Early diagnosis is possible only by molecular genetics methods, later the most effective detection of the disease is ultrasound diagnosis of the kidneys. Diagnostics should be carried out in all kittens of sick cats with the NM genotype (MM *).