Cats with severe manifestations of feline heartworm disease may require
additional supportive therapy, and may benefit from intravenous fluids, oxygen therapy, cage confinement, bronchodilators (which expand the air passages of the lungs), cardiovascular drugs, antibiotics and nursing care.
Potential cardioprotection was based on generally
supportive data on lipid levels in intermediate outcome clinical trials, trials in nonhuman primates, and a large body of observational studies suggesting a 40 % to 50 % reduction in risk among users of either estrogen alone or, less frequently, combined estrogen and progestin.2 - 5 Hip fracture was designated as a secondary outcome, supported by observational data as well as clinical trials showing benefit for bone mineral density.6, 7 Invasive breast cancer was designated as a primary adverse outcome based on observational data.3, 8
Additional clinical outcomes chosen as secondary outcomes that may plausibly be affected by hormone
therapy include other cardiovascular diseases; endometrial, colorectal, and other cancers; and other fractures.3, 6,9