Clinical presentations of feline atopic skin syndrome
Sandra Koch, DVM, MS, DACVD, talks about the 4 reaction patterns associated with feline atopic skin syndrome, commonly known as environmental allergies or atopic dermatitis
Feline atopic skin syndrome, a new proposed name for environmental allergies or atopic dermatitis in feline patients, can present itself in different ways, Sandra Koch, DVM, MS, DACVD, professor at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine and director of the school’s Veterinary Medical Center Dermatology Service, explained in an interview during the 2025 WVC Annual Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada.
In patients with feline atopic skin syndrome, 4 reaction patterns can be observed1:
- Self-inflicted alopecia: Loss of hair due to excessive licking, biting, or pulling of the fur
- Miliary dermatitis: Small, papulo-crusted dermatitis lesions that are usually itchy
- Head and neck pruritus: Itching of the face, head, and neck
- Eosinophilic granuloma complex: Lesions consisting of eosinophilic plaques (circular, oval, or serpiginous raised areas often eroded or ulcerated); eosinophilic granulomas (linear dermal thickening on the caudal thigh with potential erosion/ulceration, proliferative oral lesions, chin swelling, and pruritus); and indolent ulcers
As Koch explained in the interview, a patient with feline atopic skin syndrome can present with more than one of these reaction patterns, with pruritis being the “hallmark” of the syndrome.
Below is a partial transcript, which has been lightly edited for clarity:
Sandra Koch, DVM, MS, DACVD: Before I talk about the clinical presentation, I just wanted to briefly mention that feline atopic skin syndrome is a new proposed name for the condition that we know as “environmental allergies” or “atopic dermatitis.”
The clinical presentation is quite variable, and [it] is very different than dogs, for example. So, what we see is 4 clinical presentations or “reaction patterns” that we call it, that involves something called self-inflicted alopecia, sometimes called symmetrical alopecia; miliary dermatitis; …in addition to pruritis of the head and neck; and eosinophilic granuloma complex.
So we can see already that we have these 4 clinical presentations that can be presenting with atopic dermatitis. And among those clinical presentations, …one cat can have multiple of those [at] the same time.
Reference
- Bajwa J. Feline atopic syndrome - An update. Can Vet J. 2021;62(11):1237-1240. PMID: 34728854; PMCID: PMC8543694.
