Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Heart changes in dogs with hyperadrenocorticism explained
By Takano, Hiroshi et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary cardiology : the official journal of the European Society of Veterinary Cardiology·2015·Department of Surgery 1, Japan·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Left ventricular structural and functional abnormalities in dogs with hyperadrenocorticism.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 22 dogs with hyperadrenocorticism (a condition where the body produces too much cortisol) showed changes in the structure and function of their hearts. Many of these dogs had thicker heart walls, which can be a sign of heart problems, even if their blood pressure was normal. This means that if your dog has hyperadrenocorticism, it's important to check for potential heart issues, regardless of their blood pressure readings. Regular veterinary check-ups and echocardiograms can help monitor heart health in these dogs.
People also search for: dog heart problems hyperadrenocorticism · thick heart walls in dogs · dog cortisol treatment effects
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Hyperadrenocorticism has been reported to cause left ventricular (LV) structural and functional abnormalities in human patients. The purpose of the present study was to assess the incidence and features of LV structural and functional changes in dogs with hyperadrenocorticism. ANIMALS: Twenty-two client-owned dogs with pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism (n = 15) and cortisol-secreting adrenocortical tumors (n = 7) and 6 control dogs were enrolled in this study. METHODS: Echocardiographic examinations were performed and non-invasive measurements of systolic blood pressure (SBP) were obtained. RESULTS: The normalized LV wall thickness and LV mass index of the affected dogs differed significantly from those of control dogs. Using a published reference value for M-mode measurements, 15 of the 22 dogs (68%) were found to have increased LV wall thickness. Eleven of the 15 (73%) dogs with increased LV wall thickness were normotensive, and no significant correlation between LV wall thickness and SBP was found. CONCLUSIONS: Regardless of the presence of systemic hypertension, hyperadrenocorticism should be included in the differential diagnosis of underlying disorders that may cause LV hypertrophy in dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26319177/