Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Feline hyperparathyroidism: pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment of primary and secondary disease.
- Journal:
- Journal of feline medicine and surgery
- Year:
- 2015
- Authors:
- Parker, Valerie J et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences · United States
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
Hyperparathyroidism is a condition that affects the balance of calcium in the body and can occur in cats in two main forms: primary and secondary. While primary hyperparathyroidism was thought to be rare in cats, it may actually be more common than previously believed. Secondary hyperparathyroidism can happen due to nutritional issues or chronic kidney disease. Diagnosing these conditions can be tricky because the symptoms are often vague, and there are challenges with testing, such as the need for careful handling of samples and the lack of specific tests for cats. The article discusses how to measure parathyroid hormone levels and calcium, as well as the different types of hyperparathyroidism in cats, along with their diagnosis and treatment options.
Abstract
PRACTICAL RELEVANCE: Hyperparathyroidism exists in primary and secondary forms. Primary hyperparathyroidism has typically been considered a disease that uncommonly affects cats, but this condition is more prevalent than previous diagnoses would suggest. Secondary hyperparathyroidism may be caused by either nutritional influences (ie, nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism) or chronic kidney disease (ie, renal secondary hyperparathyroidism). Tertiary hyperparathyroidism has yet to be documented in veterinary medicine, but it is possible that this condition occurs in some cats following longstanding renal secondary hyperparathyroidism. CLINICAL CHALLENGES: Diagnosis of this group of calcium metabolic disorders presents a number of challenges for the clinician. For example, clinical signs can be non-specific and, especially in the case of primary hyperparathyroidism, there is often a low index of suspicion for the disease; careful sample handling is required for testing of parathyroid hormone (PTH) and ionized calcium levels; and there is currently no feline-specific assay for PTH, which has implications for test sensitivity and interpretation of results. AIMS: This article briefly outlines PTH and calcium physiology by way of introduction to a review of PTH measurement and interpretation. Various forms of feline hyperparathyroidism are then described, encompassing diagnosis and treatment options.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25896242/