Abstract
<strong>PICO question</strong><br /><p>In cats with hyperthyroidism, does an iodine-restricted diet normalise the serum TT4 (total thyroxine) levels and reduce the severity of the clinical signs when compared to cats on a normal diet?</p><strong>Clinical bottom line</strong><br /><p>Whilst there is some evidence that iodine-restricted diets can help to renormalise serum TT4 in cats with hyperthyroidism, this is not always effective and there is a lack of compelling evidence to suggest this is associated with a resolution of clinical signs in the long-term.</p><br /> <img src="https://www.veterinaryevidence.org/rcvskmod/icons/oa-icon.jpg" alt="Open Access" /> <img src="https://www.veterinaryevidence.org/rcvskmod/icons/pr-icon.jpg" alt="Peer Reviewed" />
Highlights
Population: Sample size: Intervention details: Group 1: Hyperthyroid cats previously medicated with antithyroid medications
● Clinical signs were scored by owners and vets at day 0, week 4 and week 8
A second point of note was that a substantial proportion of the studies into iodinerestricted diets were undertaken in conjunction with Hill’s Pet Nutrition, a key developer and producer of the commercially available diet, and this introduces a suspicion of potential bias in those studies
Summary
Clinical Scenario Often, a diagnosis of feline hyperthyroidism raises more questions than it solves; with owners striving for a noninvasive and simple treatment for their usually geriatric cat. For the clinician, this has traditionally involved a choice between surgery, lifelong medical management or radioactive iodine treatment. Whereas traditional medical management is lacking in options, often resulting in owners being left with the task of daily/twice-daily tableting of a potentially noncompliant cat This is often difficult for owners to achieve, and radioactive iodine treatment is only available at limited centres, with owners being required to leave their beloved pet for long periods. What if something as simple as a dietary change could help manage the disease?
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