Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How common is low adrenal function in dogs with long-term gut problems
By Hauck, Christina et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2020·Clinic of Small Animal Medicine, Germany·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Prevalence and characterization of hypoadrenocorticism in dogs with signs of chronic gastrointestinal disease: A multicenter study.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 151 dogs with ongoing gastrointestinal issues, like vomiting or diarrhea lasting more than three weeks, were tested for a condition called hypoadrenocorticism (HA), which can affect their adrenal glands. Out of these dogs, 6 were diagnosed with HA, which is about 4% of the group. Interestingly, many of these dogs showed signs of blood loss in their stool. The study suggests that if your dog has chronic gastrointestinal problems, it might be a good idea to have their adrenal function checked to rule out HA as a cause.
People also search for: dog chronic vomiting treatment · dog diarrhea for weeks · hypoadrenocorticism symptoms in dogs · dog blood in stool causes · adrenal function test for dogs
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Dogs with hypoadrenocorticism (HA) frequently show signs of gastrointestinal disease (SGD). The prevalence of dogs presented for chronic SGD with HA is unknown. OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of HA in dogs with chronic SGD and to identify clinical and laboratory variables for HA in this population. ANIMALS: One hundred fifty-one dogs with chronic SGD. METHODS: In this multicentered prevalence study a standardized workup was performed in prospectively enrolled dogs with SGD > 3 weeks duration. Basal serum cortisol concentration was measured in every dog with ACTH stimulation test (ACTHST) if basal serum cortisol concentration was <3 μg/dL. RESULTS: Basal serum cortisol concentration was <3 μg/dL in 80/151 (53%) dogs, <2 μg/dL in 42/151 (28%) dogs, and < 1 μg/dL in 9/151 (6%) dogs. In 6/151 dogs HA was diagnosed based on ACTHST (stimulated serum cortisol concentration < 2 μg/dL), a prevalence of 4%. There was no difference in history, physical examination, and laboratory variables between dogs with HA and those with other causes of chronic SGD. In 4/6 dogs with HA, there was melena or hematochezia indicating gastrointestinal blood loss. Hyperkalemia, hyponatremia, or both was not observed in any dog. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: The prevalence of HA among dogs with chronic SGD is higher than in the general population. Based on these results, testing adrenal function should be performed as a standard screening test in dogs with chronic SGD to differentiate between HA and chronic enteropathies.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32573832/