Zur Epidemiologie des felinen Glaukoms

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate the epidemiology and the risk factors of feline glaucoma presented between 1990 and 2011. Methods: Detailed information was obtained from case records. Glaucoma was classified as congenital, primary, or secondary. Data was evaluated for breed, gender, age at presentation, intraocular pressure, character of glaucoma, as well as etiology of secondary glaucoma. Results: A total of 124 cats with glaucoma were diagnosed between 1990 and 2011, 114 of which had secondary glaucoma 5 primary, and 2 congenital glaucomas. Three end-stage glaucomas could not be classified. The mean age at diagnosis was 9.7 ± 3.1 years, with a range between 30 days and 24 years. In ten different breeds the overall female:male ratio in all 124 cases was 1:1,8 (44 female and 80 male cats). The most common risk factors for development of secondary glaucoma were anterior uveitis (58.3%), intraocular neoplasia (17,1%), and lens luxation (7%). In 45 cats with secondary glaucoma the cause for uveitis was recorded: idiopathic (35.7%), Toxoplasma gondii (31.3%), trauma (22.2%), corona virus infection (8.9%), and feline leukemia virus infection (1.9%). Seventeen of the 20 cats with intraocular neoplasia had iris melanoma, and one each had a ciliary body adenoma/adenocarcinoma, lymphoma and metastatic neoplasia from a distant site. Conclusion: Most glaucomas were unilateral and secondary to other eye conditions. Nine risk factors for secondary glaucoma were identified, with anterior uveitis, intraocular neoplasia and lens luxation being the most prevalent. This is in agreement with similar earlier studies. POAG appears to be the most common form of primary glaucoma in cats.