![]() ![]() regulating transcellular fluxes and intracellular availability of calcium and potassium.may be related to modulation of tissue calcium concentrations and availability.Much of the available evidence supports a theory that taurine's major effects on cellular function.protective mechanism in nervous tissue as well as the myocardium.induced by changes in intracellular taurine concentrations have been proposed to be a.Taurine is a small but highly osmotically active molecule. ![]() Several mechanisms for taurine's actions on the heart have been proposed: Taurine is a β-amino acid in which sulfonic acid replaces the carboxyl group of β-alanine, It is the most abundant free amino acid in the heart. Likewise, it is logical to consider mild sodium restriction in companion animals with mild cardiac disease. Pending such studies, it is wise to recommend that excess sodium be avoided in these patients. It is not known at this time if dietary sodium restriction is warranted in dogs with earlyheart disease prior to developing heart failure. In contrast, diets that are not restricted in sodium, or that are supplemented with sodium may actually be detrimental. Even though serum sodium concentrations are below normal, dietary sodium-restriction is often of benefit to these patients. In clinical terms, it is commonly referred to as chronic dilutional hyponatremia. Once fluid retention resolves, serum sodium tends to return to normal. Usually, this is a not an absolute sodium deficit, but rather a dilutional phenomenon due to excessive fluid retention. Occasionally low serum sodium concentrations are observed in animals with severecongestive heart failure. The mechanisms by which sodium and fluid retention occur is related to the interaction of volume receptors (renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system) and osmoreceptors (ADH). These decreases lead to sodium and fluid retention by the kidneys, which are compensatory changes that can have detrimental effects on the failing heart. As you will discover in the course of this seminar, nutritional discoveries continue to improve the prognosis for many veterinary patients with heart disease, and in some cases, completely reverse the disease.Ĭongestive heart failure (CHF) is associated with decreased cardiac output and tissue perfusion. Today, DCM is quite rare in cats, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is now the most common cardiomyopathy diagnosed in cats. Subsequently, increased quantities of taurine were added to cat foods, which resulted in a dramatic decrease in the prevalence of DCM in cats. However, the discovery that taurine deficiency was the underlying cause for the majority of DCM in cats, and that taurine supplementation could reverse this disease, changed the outcome of this disease in most cats. Until the mid-1980s, DCM was the most common cardiomyopathy in cats, and despite our best efforts, the majority of feline patients with DCM succumbed to this disease within months of being diagnosed with it. Some of these nutritional advances, such as the discovery in the mid-1980s that taurine deficiency was the cause of the majority of cases of feline dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) at the time, has had a major impact on this disease. Some of the more exciting advances in cardiovascular therapy in the past two decades have not come from the development of new drugs, but rather from nutritional management of heart disease. However, most of our pharmacologic therapy remains symptomatic and supportive, and does little to address the primary disease process itself. Improved diagnostic capabilities, expanded uses for existing drugs, as well as development of new drugs has increased survival and quality of life for many veterinary patients with heart disease. In part, this has been due to widespread availability of ultrasound technology, which has enabled the clinician to diagnose cardiac problems earlier in the course of the disease and more accurately, as well as gain a greater understanding of cardiovascular disease itself. Knowledge about management of heart disease in Veterinary Medicine has grown tremendously in the last two decades. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |