Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Muscle loss and fat buildup in dogs with high cortisol and prognosis
By Yoshida, Kei et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2024·Joint Department of Veterinary Medicine, Japan·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Evaluation of muscle mass and intramuscular fatty infiltration in dogs with hypercortisolism and their association with prognosis.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with hypercortisolism (a condition that causes excessive cortisol) showed signs of muscle wasting and fat buildup in their muscles. Researchers found that these dogs had significantly less muscle mass compared to healthy dogs, and those with more severe muscle loss had shorter lifespans. The study highlighted that dogs with hypercortisolism and lower muscle quality had a poorer prognosis. This information can help veterinarians assess the health of dogs with this condition and guide treatment options.
People also search for: dog hypercortisolism symptoms · muscle wasting in dogs · prognosis for dogs with Cushing's disease
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Muscle atrophy and intramuscular fatty infiltration, as well as their association with prognosis, have not been quantified in dogs with spontaneous hypercortisolism (HC). OBJECTIVE: To quantitatively evaluate muscle atrophy and IM fatty infiltration in dogs with HC and determine their prognostic impact. ANIMALS: Fifty-three dogs with HC and 66 control dogs without HC. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study. Medical records and computed tomography images obtained between 2014 and 2021 were evaluated. Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank tests were used to analyze the effect of muscle atrophy and IM fatty infiltration on the prognosis of dogs with HC. RESULTS: Dogs with HC showed lower visually measured cross-sectional area (VCSA) and cross-sectional area based on attenuation (HCSA) than control dogs (median [interquartile range {IQR}]: 50.3 mm/mm [36.2-67.8] vs 66.7 mm/mm [48.0-85.9]; P < .001; 30.4 mm/mm [13.7-57.2] vs 54.8 mm/mm [39.7-71.5]; P < .001, respectively). Dogs with HC had lower epaxial muscle attenuation (L3HU) than control dogs (median [IQR]: 21.2 Hounsfield [HU] [12.4-28.2] vs 33.2 HU [22.6-43.6]; P < .001). Dogs with HC with lower HCSA or L3HU had shorter survival (median [IQR]: 670 days [222-673] vs 949 days [788-1074], P < .01; 523 days [132-670] vs 949 days [756-1074], P < .01, respectively) but not lower VCSA (median [IQR]: 673 days [132-788] vs 949 days [523 to not applicable]; P = .30). CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Hypercortisolism in dogs causes muscle atrophy and IM fatty infiltration and is associated with poor prognosis.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38622799/