Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat with steroid-induced Cushing's syndrome and liver damage
By Schaer, M & Ginn, P E·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·1999·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Iatrogenic Cushing's syndrome and steroid hepatopathy in a cat.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 9-year-old spayed female domestic shorthair cat developed Cushing's syndrome after being treated with a steroid called triamcinolone. The owner noticed that her skin was very fragile, and tests revealed high liver enzyme levels, which led to further investigation. A liver biopsy showed signs of glycogen accumulation, a condition known as steroid hepatopathy, which is uncommon in cats. The findings suggest that the steroid treatment caused both the Cushing's syndrome and liver issues.
People also search for: cat Cushing's syndrome symptoms · cat liver problems from steroids · domestic shorthair liver biopsy results
Abstract
The distinguishing clinical features of Cushing's syndrome in the cat include very friable skin, a high incidence of diabetes mellitus, and the general absence of steroid hepatopathy. This case report describes a nine-year-old, spayed female domestic shorthair with triamcinolone-induced Cushing's syndrome. Unique to this cat were markedly elevated liver enzymes which prompted an expanded clinical evaluation. An ultrasonographic-guided liver biopsy demonstrated diffuse hepatocellular vacuolation that stained periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) positive and was removed subsequently with diastase application, indicating glycogen accumulation. These findings are compatible with the rarely seen syndrome of steroid hepatopathy in the cat.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9934928/