L’asthme félin : apport des tests allergiques et de l’immunothérapie spécifique. À propos de 20 cas

Asthma is a very common respiratory disease in cats, being very similar to human asthma with regards to its clinical and pathological aspects. Allergic asthma is the form the most frequently diagnosed in humans and this is presumably the same for cats. The present study concerns 20 cats with clinically significant asthma, with appropriate radiological and broncho-alveolar cytological evidence for which an allergic workup had been carried out. The cats had a history of recurrent coughing episodes, wheezing and expiratory dyspnea for which regular oral or systemic corticotherapy was required. After these corticoids were stopped and replaced by inhaled corticoids, skin tests were done on 18 of the cats. The results showed sensitization to aeroallergens, mainly house dust mites, less often to pollen, in 15 of them. Avoidance of dry cat food resulted in remission of symptoms in three cats allergic to storage mites. Specific immunotherapy was prescribed for 12 cats. After 6-9 months of therapy, total remission of asthma symptoms was observed in eight (67%) of them. Four cats still required pharmacotherapy, including inhaled bronchodilator and corticoid 2-3 times per week. This study illustrates the role of an allergenic factor in feline asthma and demonstrates the advantage of a specific therapy, avoidance or specific immunotherapy.