Osteoarthritis in cats – research with a whole-body perspective
Project overview
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Short summary
The project aims to increase knowledge about the causes, disease progression and methods for early diagnosis of osteoarthritis (OA) in cats.
The project investigates different diagnostic methods for the detection of OA, such as orthopedic examination, whole body computed tomography, pressure measurement mat registration, behavioral studies and blood sample analysis. Specifically, we want to investigate the role of overweight and obesity in the development of joint damage.
Obesity is a risk factor for various types of OA in humans and there are studies indicating that body weight is also of importance for the occurrence of movement disorders (including OA) in cats. In this project, we investigate whether overweight/obesity gives rise to elevated inflammatory blood parameters, altered movement patterns/loading or altered behavior, and whether this can be linked to the occurrence of OA.
In addition to investigations between OA and body fat, we aim to evaluate associations between bone parameters and joint damage. Our research includes the development of image analysis and machine learning methods (in collaboration with Uppsala University) to evaluate body composition from computed tomography images.