Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Diabetes risk in cats treated with dexamethasone versus prednisolone
By Lowe, Andrew D et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·2009·Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: A pilot study comparing the diabetogenic effects of dexamethasone and prednisolone in cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
Fourteen cats were given either prednisolone or dexamethasone for 56 days to see how these medications affected their blood sugar levels. By the end of the study, cats on dexamethasone showed higher levels of glucose in their urine and had a greater decrease in insulin sensitivity compared to those on prednisolone. This suggests that dexamethasone may have a stronger impact on raising blood sugar levels in cats than prednisolone. If your cat is on either of these medications, it might be worth discussing their blood sugar monitoring with your vet.
People also search for: cat diabetes symptoms · dexamethasone side effects in cats · prednisolone for cat diabetes
Abstract
Fourteen cats received either daily prednisolone (4.4 mg/kg per os [PO]) or dexamethasone (0.55 mg/kg PO) for 56 days. These doses were clinically equipotent. Serum fructosamine and urine glucose were measured on days 0, 28, and 56. Insulin sensitivity, glucose tolerance, and peak insulin secretion were measured in each group prior to and at the end of the courses of glucocorticoid administration. On day 56, the prevalence of glucosuria was significantly greater (P=0.027), and a trend was seen toward greater fructosamine concentrations (P=0.083) in dexamethasone-treated cats compared to prednisolone-treated cats. The results of this pilot study also showed a trend toward a greater decrease in insulin sensitivity (P=0.061) and a significantly lower compensatory increase in insulin secretion (P=0.081) in the dexamethasone-treated cats than in cats administered prednisolone. These preliminary data suggest that dexamethasone exhibits greater diabetogenic effects in cats than equipotent doses of prednisolone. Further study is justified to support this hypothesis.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19723844/