Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How thyroid gland size relates to thyroid hormone in cats
By Norsworthy, G D et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2002·Alamo Feline Health Center, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Relationship between semi-quantitative thyroid palpation and total thyroxine concentration in cats with and without hyperthyroidism.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 155 cats, some showing signs of hyperthyroidism (an overactive thyroid), had their thyroid glands checked for size and their total thyroxine (TT4) levels measured. Out of these, 23 cats were confirmed to have hyperthyroidism based on their TT4 levels. The study found that most hyperthyroid cats had enlarged thyroid glands, with many scoring higher than 4 on a scale where 0 means non-palpable and 6 is the largest. This suggests that a simple physical exam can help identify cats with thyroid issues, but further testing is needed for a complete diagnosis.
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Abstract
In 155 cats, both with and without clinical signs of hyperthyroidism, total thyroxine (TT4) concentrations were compared to a sensitive, semi-quantitative thyroid palpation technique. On the basis of TT4 concentrations, 23 of the 155 cats were classified as hyperthyroid. The size of individual thyroid glands was scored between '0' (non-palpable) and a maximum of '6'. One or more enlarged thyroid glands (score >0) were palpated in 22 of the 23 hyperthyroid cats and in 78 of the 132 euthyroid cats. However, none of the 132 euthyroid cats had a thyroid lobe score of greater than '3' whereas 18 of the 23 hyperthyroid cats had a thyroid lobe score of '4' or greater, and in two of the five that had scores below '4' there was evidence of intrathoracic functional thyroid tissue on scintigraphy.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12360952/