Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Hyperadrenocorticism in 10 dogs with skin lesions as the only presenting clinical signs.
- Journal:
- Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association
- Year:
- 2011
- Authors:
- Zur, Gila & White, Stephen D
- Affiliation:
- Veterinary Teaching Hospital
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
This study looked at ten dogs that had skin problems as the only signs of a condition called hyperadrenocorticism (HAC), which is when the body produces too much of a hormone called cortisol. All the dogs were initially brought in for skin issues, and they didn’t show any other signs of being sick. Most of the dogs were older, small breeds, and many had issues like hair loss, skin infections, and thin skin. After treatment, eight of the dogs saw their skin problems improve, while one dog wasn’t treated and another one couldn’t be followed up. This suggests that skin issues alone can sometimes indicate HAC, and if a dog has these types of skin problems, it might be a good idea to check for this condition.
Abstract
Ten dogs that had skin lesions as the only presenting signs of hyperadrenocorticism (HAC) and as the owners' primary complaint are described. Dogs were included if the initial examination was for skin disease, there were no signs of systemic illness on initial presentation and there was a confirmed diagnosis of HAC by specific screening tests. Dogs were excluded if they had a severe disease that might interfere with screening tests for HAC or if the screening tests were not diagnostic. There were five males and five females; six dogs were intact. Nine dogs were diagnosed at ≥7 years. Eight dogs weighed ≤10 kg. Alopecia was present in nine dogs. Eight dogs had bacterial pyoderma, five had hyperpigmentation, and four had thin skin. One dog had unresolved dermatophytosis. Skin lesions resolved after treatment in eight dogs. One dog was not treated and one was lost to follow-up. This study showed that skin lesions may be the only clinical signs of HAC. The presence of the more common clinical signs of HAC, such as a non-pruritic, truncal alopecia and/or thin skin, without any systemic signs of HAC and/or the presence of poorly responsive skin infections warrant screening for this disease.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22058349/