Prevalence of congenital sensorineural deafness in white kittens
A study examined the prevalence of congenital sensorineural deafness (CSD) in white purebred kittens and their colored littermates. the study evaluated hundred thirty-two solid white client-owned purebred kittens and 61 colored littermates that were 6 to 21 weeks of age. Hearing was assessed by brainstem auditory testing.
Results showed that congenital sensorineural deafness was diagnosed only in solid white kittens, with a prevalence of 30.3% (15.9% bilateral, 14.4% unilateral). The prevalence of CSD was significantly higher in white kittens with 1 (44.4%) or 2 (50%) blue irises than in those without blue irises (22.2%). Kittens with at least 1 blue iris were 3.2 times more likely to have CSD than kittens without blue irises.
In solid white kittens, CSD was diagnosed in 7 of 15 (46.7%) Turkish Van, 8 of 18 (44.0%) Maine Coon, 18 of 41 (43.9%) Norwegian Forest, 3 of 11 (27.3%) British Shorthair, 2 of 12 (16.7%) Devon Rex, 2 of 12 (8.3%) Persian, 1 of 21 (4.8%) Russian.
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