Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
High urine cortisol levels in cats with hyperthyroidism
By de Lange, Mabet S et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2004·Department of Clinical Sciences of Companion Animals, Netherlands·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: High urinary corticoid/creatinine ratios in cats with hyperthyroidism.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats with hyperthyroidism had their urine tested for cortisol levels, which can indicate how well their adrenal glands are functioning. The results showed that these cats had significantly higher levels of cortisol compared to healthy cats. After treatment for hyperthyroidism, the cortisol levels in the urine dropped to normal ranges, suggesting that managing the thyroid condition can help regulate cortisol secretion. This finding is important because it highlights the need to check for hyperthyroidism in cats that show signs of other adrenal issues.
People also search for: cat hyperthyroidism symptoms · high cortisol levels in cats · treatment for cat hyperthyroidism
Abstract
Measurement of the urinary corticoid : creatinine (C : C) ratio provides an assessment of cortisol secretion over a period of time. Therefore, this test is a very sensitive measure of adrenocortical function. The stress of the diagnostic procedure and nonadrenal disease may increase the urinary C : C ratio. In addition, diseases such as hyperthyroidism may influence the metabolic clearance of cortisol. To evaluate the effect of thyroid hormone excess, urinary C : C ratios were measured in 32 cats with hyperthyroidism and 45 healthy household cats. In 7 cats, urinary C : C ratios were measured both before and after treatment for hyperthyroidism. With data from the healthy cats, the reference range for the urinary C : C ratio was determined to be 8.0 to 42.0 X 10(-6). The urinary C : C ratios in the cats with hyperthyroidism (median, 37.5 x 10(-6); range, 5.9-169.5 x 10(-6)) were significantly (P = .001) higher than those in the healthy cats (median, 16 x 10(-6); range, 4.8-52.5 x 10(-6)). In 15 cats with hyperthyroidism, the urinary C : C ratios exceeded the upper limit of the reference range. Treatment for hyperthyroidism led to a marked decrease in urinary C : C ratios. The results of this study demonstrate that the urinary C : C ratio may be abnormally high in cats with hyperthyroidism, probably because of increased metabolic clearance of cortisol and activation of the pituitary-adrenocortical axis by disease. Although the clinical features of hyperthyroidism and hyperadrenocorticism in cats are different, hyperthyroidism should be ruled out when cats are suspected of hyperadrenocorticism on the basis of abnormally high urinary C : C ratios.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15058764/