AN OVERVIEW OF EHLERS-DANLOS SYNDROME (CUTANEOUS ASTHENIA) IN THE FELINE    2800w

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is a group of heritable tissue disorders caused by collagen deficiency in man.  The condition is more generalized in the feline despite the recent relation of similarities of the syndrome in man.  Its presentation is that of hyperextensible skin, easy occurring wounds with an extended healing time, and laxity of joints in some cases.  Its rare occurrence has limited man’s knowledge of the disease in both species.  This paper will provide a background for the syndrome, the clinical presentation, the course of diagnosis, and treatments in use, though no definitive or all-inclusive treatments exist.  Its existence is based on genetics factors that vary.  These factors collectively comprise a group of disorders that affect collagen production, some restricting the amount of normal collagen produced and some affecting the quality of the collagen that ultimately bundles and strengthens the skin and joints.  Speculation has been a large part in the cause of this disorder, but recently researchers have identified an impressive correlation between the presence of a mutation within a gene also common to man.  A stronger focus on the disorder may lead to more direct and effective testing in regards to the feline, limiting the course of testing involved.  There is no definitive treatment for this disorder, although the relationships shown between man and feline with this disorder may lead to more rapid discoveries in the syndrome that can benefit man and feline.

Introduction

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) is a disorder labeled more commonly in man.The syndrome appears similarly in other animals such as cats, but is documented under other names such as cutaneous asthenia or dermatosparaxis, a term previously coined to describe the medical occurrence.There are 13 classified subtypes of EDS documented in man.These are Classical EDS (cEDS), Classical-like EDS (clEDS), Cardiac-valvular EDS (cvEDS), Vascular EDS (vEDS), Hypermobile EDS, Arthrochalasia EDS (aEDS), Dermatosparaxis EDS (dEDS), Kyphoscoliotic EDS (kEDS), Brittle Cornea Syndrome (BCS), Spondylodysplastic EDS (spEDS), Musculocontractural EDS (mcEDS), Myopathic EDS (mEDS), and Periodontal EDS (pEDS) (The Types of EDS, n.d.).Current reference to feline cases are simply documented under the term cutaneous asthenia.Cutaneous refers to the integumentary system, while the word asthenia portrays a weakness or a loss of strength.Cutaneous asthenia presents as abnormal elasticity of the skin due to a collagen defect.Blood vessel damage may occur, as well as an increase in the time for typical wounds to heal (Boden, 2015).Aside from the focus on the condition of the skin in the feline, other medical issues have occurred that correlate with the condition of cutaneous asthenia.In a 2004 study of an 11 year old short hair cat, the authors described a hernia issue that was ongoing in a cat that was deemed to be suffering from the disorder (Benitah et al., 2004).Most studies address the abnormal physical traits of the skin, despite the long list of subtypes existing in the man that may present a relation to that of those in the cat.Because of phenotypic variability, diagnosis may present slight complication.There is no simple testing for a case of cutaneous asthenia and diagnosis is dependent on several factors being evident.Genetic discoveries have been made and compared to some of the human subtype conditions showing that our interest in this condition is currently growing, although genetic discoveries are lagging behind