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Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (view source)
Revision as of 14:12, 27 August 2010
, 14:12, 27 August 2010→Prognosis
The long-term prognosis for FIV-infected cats is guarded, but some cats will survive for many years following diagnosis. Around 20% of affected cats die within the first two years after diagnosis; this equates to a 20% mortality rate in the first 4.5-6 years after the estimated time of infection<sup>fmc</sup>. In generally, the more chronic and severe the clinical signs, the worse the prognosis is.
The long-term prognosis for FIV-infected cats is guarded, but some cats will survive for many years following diagnosis. Around 20% of affected cats die within the first two years after diagnosis; this equates to a 20% mortality rate in the first 4.5-6 years after the estimated time of infection<sup>fmc</sup>. In generally, the more chronic and severe the clinical signs, the worse the prognosis is.
ABCD recommends that cats should never be euthanased just because of an FIV positive
test result. There have been reports that FIV-infected cats may live as long as uninfected
cats (Kohmoto et al. 1998; Addie et al. 2000; Levy et al. 2007). However, FIV-positive
cats have a higher chance of developing clinical signs, mainly due to secondary infection,
immune-mediated disease or neoplasia [Lutz et al. 1990; Hosie et al. 1989; Lutz et al.
1988b].
The duration of asymptomatic stage varies according to the infecting variant [Pedersen et
al. 2001]. Based on experimental studies, cats infected at a younger age are more likely
to progress to an immunodeficiency state [George et al. 1993; Podell at al. 1997].
==Treatment==
==Treatment==