Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Resting cortisol levels in dogs brought in for collapse
By Fernandez Gallego, Ana et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2024·The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and the Roslin Institute, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Resting cortisol concentrations in dogs presenting to a university teaching hospital with collapse.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 73 dogs that collapsed were brought to a veterinary teaching hospital to find out if they had low adrenal function (hypoadrenocorticism). Only one dog was diagnosed with this condition, while the most common cause of collapse was found to be vasovagal syncope, which is a fainting episode. In many cases, the reason for the collapse remained unknown. The study suggests that hypoadrenocorticism is not a common cause of collapse in dogs, especially if they are otherwise stable when examined.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: The relationship between collapse and a diagnosis of hypoadrenocorticism is not well understood in dogs. HYPOTHESIS: To assess the prevalence of episodes of collapse in dogs screened for hypoadrenocorticism, and to assess the prevalence of confirmed hypoadrenocorticism in dogs presenting with reported collapse. ANIMALS: Seventy-three client-owned dogs with resting cortisol concentrations were measured and presented to a University teaching hospital for collapse. METHODS: Retrospective review of medical records of dogs at a single center. RESULTS: The prevalence of episodes of collapse in dogs that had a resting cortisol measurement was 73/856 (8.5%; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 6.7%-10.6%). Resting cortisol concentration was <2 μg/dL (<55 nmol/L) in 19 dogs. Cortisol concentration after ACTH stimulation was <2 μg/dL (<55 nmol/L) in 1 of the 73 dogs in this cohort, consistent with a diagnosis of hypoadrenocorticism, giving a prevalence estimate of hypoadrenocorticism of 1.3% (95% CI, 0.15%-6.2%). In 8 dogs with an initial resting cortisol concentration <2 μg/dL (<55 nmol/L), hypoadrenocorticism was excluded based on a repeat resting cortisol concentration >2 μg/dL (>55 nmol/L). The most common diagnosis was vasovagal syncope (10/73), followed by sick sinus syndrome and third-degree atrioventricular block (2/73). The final diagnosis was unknown in 24/73 dogs. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Hypoadrenocorticism was the final diagnosis in 1 of 73 dogs presented to a teaching hospital either in a collapsed state or with a previous history of episodes of collapse. No dog presenting as cardiovascularly stable for intermittent collapse was found to have hypoadrenocorticism.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39417801/