Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Mare with weight loss and excessive thirst - what could it be?
By Horvath, C J et al.Ā·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical AssociationĀ·1988Ā·Department of Large Animal Clinical SciencesĀ·View original on PubMed ā
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Original publication title: Adrenocorticotropin-containing neoplastic cells in a pars intermedia adenoma in a horse.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 14-year-old Arabian mare was diagnosed with a condition called pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism, which is a hormonal disorder that can cause various health issues. She had been losing weight, had excessive hair growth, and was drinking and urinating a lot more than usual. Blood tests showed some unusual results, including high blood sugar levels that didn't go down with insulin treatment. After she passed away, a thorough examination revealed a tumor in her pituitary gland that was producing hormones, contributing to her symptoms. Unfortunately, the treatment did not resolve her condition.
Abstract
Pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism was diagnosed in a 14-year-old Arabian mare with chronic weight loss, hirsutism, polyuria, and polydipsia. The mare had a stress leukogram, glucosuria, and consistent hyperglycemia. Plasma glucose concentrations were resistant to suppression by insulin. Plasma cortisol concentrations were within normal limits, but did not respond to dexamethasone suppression and had an exaggerated response to ACTH stimulation. At necropsy, a chromophobe adenoma of the pars intermedia of the pituitary gland was found. The zona fasciculata of the adrenal cortex and the pancreatic islets of Langerhans were hypertrophied. An immunohistologic staining technique was used to demonstrate ACTH-containing neoplastic cells in the pituitary mass. These cells released ACTH and other peptides that initiated the chain of endocrinologic events leading to clinical disease.
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Search related cases āOriginal publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2833479/