Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Adrenal insufficiency in a neonatal foal.
- Journal:
- Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
- Year:
- 1998
- Authors:
- Couëtil, L L & Hoffman, A M
- Affiliation:
- Department of Large Animal Medicine · United States
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 3-day-old female Pinto foal was brought in because she had severe watery diarrhea and was in shock due to low blood volume. After a week of intensive care, she started having seizures, which were linked to serious imbalances in her blood electrolytes, suggesting she had adrenal insufficiency (a condition where the adrenal glands don't produce enough hormones). She was treated with prednisone (a steroid) and a saline solution, which helped her improve quickly, but stopping the prednisone too soon caused her symptoms to come back. Eventually, tests confirmed she had adrenal insufficiency, but after two months of treatment, her adrenal function returned to normal, and she was doing well. This case shows that while adrenal insufficiency can look like other serious conditions in young foals, it can often be treated successfully.
Abstract
A 3-day-old female Pinto was admitted with profuse watery diarrhea and severe hypovolemic shock. After 1 week of intensive care, the foal developed seizures associated with profound serum electrolyte abnormalities suggestive of hypoadrenocorticism. Treatment with prednisone and isotonic saline (0.9% NaCl) solution led to prompt clinical response. Premature withdrawal of prednisone resulted in relapse of clinical signs. A diagnosis of adrenal insufficiency was made on the basis of clinical signs, electrolyte abnormalities, low baseline cortisol concentration, and lack of response to administration of exogenous adrenocorticotropin. Two months later, adrenocortical function was normal and the foal was doing well clinically. Clinical signs of acute adrenal insufficiency in neonatal foals can be confused with other conditions, such as septicemia, enteritis, and ruptured urinary bladder. A persistently low serum sodium-to-potassium ratio associated with CNS malfunction should warrant investigation of adrenal gland function. Acute hypoadrenocorticism in foals may be reversible.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9604031/