Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Acute adrenal necrosis in a young female cat.
- Journal:
- Journal of veterinary internal medicine
- Year:
- 2024
- Authors:
- Manson, Rebecca A et al.
- Affiliation:
- University of Georgia Veterinary Teaching Hospital · United States
Plain-English summary
An 18-month-old spayed female domestic short-haired cat was brought to the vet because she wasn't eating well, seemed very tired, was swallowing a lot, and was regurgitating. Two weeks earlier, she had a procedure to remove something stuck in her stomach. During the examination, the vet found that her mouth was dry, and tests showed some kidney issues, high calcium levels, and problems with her adrenal glands. An ultrasound revealed that her adrenal glands were enlarged, and further tests confirmed that they were damaged and not working properly. After treatment with medications, her health improved, and she returned to normal both in how she felt and in her blood test results.
Abstract
CASE DESCRIPTION: An 18-month-old spayed female domestic short haired cat was presented for poor appetite, lethargy, exaggerated swallowing, and regurgitation 2 weeks after endoscopic retrieval of gastric foreign material. CLINICAL FINDINGS: The cat was quiet with tacky mucous membranes on physical examination. Point-of-care blood testing identified mild azotemia, moderate hypercalcemia, and a sodium-to-potassium ratio of 26. An ultrasound examination the next day identified moderate to marked bilateral adrenomegaly. Cytology of a fine needle aspirate of the adrenal glands was consistent with necrosis and associated inflammation. Hypoadrenocorticism was diagnosed by a confirmatory adrenocorticotropic hormone stimulation test. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME: The cat normalized both clinically and biochemically after treatment with prednisolone and desoxycorticosterone pivalate. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Acute adrenal necrosis has been well documented in human medicine after anesthetic events. To our knowledge, hypoadrenocorticism caused by cytologically confirmed acute adrenal necrosis has not been previously reported in dogs and cats.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37945312/