Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Thyroid gland size and thyroid hormone levels in cats with suspected
By Boretti, Felicitas S et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2009·Clinic for Small Animal Internal Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Thyroid enlargement and its relationship to clinicopathological parameters and T(4) status in suspected hyperthyroid cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 161 cats showing signs of hyperthyroidism (like weight loss, increased appetite, or excessive thirst) had their thyroid glands examined for size. The study found that 127 of these cats had at least one enlarged thyroid gland, and those with hyperthyroidism had larger glands compared to those without the condition. While the size of the thyroid gland can suggest hyperthyroidism, it doesn't definitively indicate how well the thyroid is functioning. If your cat is showing symptoms of hyperthyroidism, a vet can check their thyroid size and perform blood tests to confirm the diagnosis and discuss treatment options.
People also search for: cat hyperthyroidism symptoms · enlarged thyroid in cats · cat weight loss increased appetite treatment
Abstract
To relate thyroid size to routine blood parameters and T(4) status the ventral neck of 161 cats with clinical signs consistent with hyperthyroidism was examined by two independent observers using a semi-quantitative palpation system. Thyroid gland size of each side was scored from 0 (non-palpable) to a maximum of 6 (>25 mm). In 127 of the 161 cats, at least one thyroid gland was palpable. The palpation score was significantly correlated with the T(4) concentration. The 17 hyperthyroid cats had significantly higher palpation scores than the 110 euthyroid cats. Euthyroid animals with a palpation score >or=3 were significantly older, had higher body weights, lower alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, phosphate, and urine specific gravity, but higher lipase and creatinine concentrations than hyperthyroid cats. Our study demonstrates that although no reliable conclusion on the functional status of the thyroid can be drawn based on its size the likelihood of hyperthyroidism increases with increasing size of the gland.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18848797/