Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat with diabetes found to have high progesterone from adrenal tumors
By Quante, S et al.·Published in Schweizer Archiv fur Tierheilkunde·2009·Klinik fü·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: [Hyperprogesteronism due to bilateral adrenal carcinomas in a cat with diabetes mellitus].
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
An 8-year-old male Russian Blue cat was brought to the vet for symptoms like excessive thirst, frequent urination, increased appetite, a bloated belly, and poor fur condition. Initially, he was diagnosed with diabetes, but further tests revealed that his adrenal glands were severely enlarged due to tumors. These tumors were producing high levels of progesterone, which caused symptoms similar to those of Cushing's disease (hypercortisolism). Unfortunately, the cat had bilateral adrenal carcinomas (cancerous tumors), which can lead to serious health issues. Treatment options would depend on the specific case, but this situation highlights the importance of thorough testing when unusual symptoms arise.
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Abstract
An 8 year old male castrated Russian Blue cat with polyuria, polydipsia, polyphagia, abdominal enlargement, unkempt and easily epilated hair coat and abdominal alopecia is described. As a first step diabetes mellitus was diagnosed. Further work-up by ultrasonography revealed severe bilateral enlargement of the adrenal glands. Hypercortisolism was suspected and therefore ACTH stimulation test and dexamethasone suppression test were performed. In all samples cortisol concentrations were below the detection limit of the assay used. Various precursor hormones were measured and high progesterone concentrations were found. Histologically, the adrenal masses were characterised as bilateral adrenal carcinomas of the adrenal cortex. The case report demonstrates that adrenal gland tumors are also capable to secrete sex hormones instead of cortisol. Clinical signs of hyperprogesteronism are identical to those of hypercortisolism.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19722132/