Epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory aspects in a case series of canine hyperadrenocorticism: 115 cases (2010-2014)

Abstract

Diseases’ clinical-epidemiological characterization assists in directing the diagnosis. The objective of this study was to describe epidemiological, clinical and laboratorial aspects of a case series of canine hyperadrenocorticism (HAC). One-hundred fifteen records of dogs diagnosed by the low dose dexamethasone suppression test and/or ACTH stimulation test were evaluated. Of the cases, 81.3% were HAC ACTH-dependent and 18.7% HAC ACTH-independent. Females were more affected, representing 69.3% of the cases. The mean age was 10.3±2.5 years and 64.9% were gonadectomized. Most of the patients were small size dogs, weighting less than 10kg (73.9%). The most frequent breeds were: Poodle (27%), Dachshund (17.4%), and Yorkshire Terrier (10.4%). The most frequent clinical manifestations were polyphagia (86%), polydipsia (82.6%), polyuria (80%), abdominal enlargement (82.6%), thin skin (79.1%), muscular weakness (78.3%) and panting (74.8%). However, eventually unusual HAC-associated signs would be present in some dogs in a more important way compared with the classic disease´s clinical signs. The CBC showed neutrophilia (66%), eosinopenia (58.3%) and lymphopenia (42.6%) as main hematological abnormalities. The most common findings in serum biochemistry were increased alkaline phosphatase activity (81.74%), increased ALT activity (62.6%), hypercholesterolemia (66%) and hypertriglyceridemia (54.7%). Urinalysis revealed hyposthenuria in 14.9% and isostenuria in 13.5%; besides proteinuria in 50% of the cases. Abdominal ultrasound showed bilateral adrenal hyperplasia (92.2%) with adrenal asymmetry in 20.8% of the cases, in addition to hepatomegaly (80.9%), biliary sludge (67.8%) and hepatic hyperechogenicity (47.8%). It was concluded that small size gonadectomized female dogs, mainly Poodles and Dachshunds, presented higher frequency in the population studied, and that the main changes observed in clinical and complementary tests were polyphagia, polyuria, polydipsia, abdominal enlargement, adrenal hyperplasia, increased phosphatase alkaline and hyperlipidemia. These results corroborated to a better disease characterization at Brazil. This work concluded that the population studied resembles the profile describe in European and North American epidemiologic studies, and that the HAC dog´s clinical picture looks similar worldwide.

Ultrasonographic findings in dogs diagnosed with hyperadrenocorticism – retrospective study (2013 to 2020)

“…In general, dogs affected with PDH are middle-aged to elderly, ranging from 2 years in some cases, up to 16 years, but usually the average age is 7 to 9 years. Dogs with adreno-dependent hyperadrenocorticism are commonly older, with ages ranging from six to 16 years old (mean: 11.3 years), what may be justified by the fact that older dogs have a greater predisposition to neoplasms (MARTINS et al, 2019). In the present study, it was possible to conclude that the age of dogs diagnosed with HAC is in accordance with the literature, because the animals reported here are middle-aged to elderly.…”

“…In addition, other commonly changes observed on abdominal ultrasound of dogs with HAC are: hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, and gallbladder mucocele (KEALY; MCALLISTER; GRAHAM, 2012;MARTINS et al, 2019).…”

Calcinosis Cutis with Large Extension and Uncommon Location in a Dog

“…Calcinosis cutis is an uncommon dermatological alteration, usually secondary to other disorders [1,7]. Considering the correlation with HAC, especially in animals between 9 and 11 years old, the patient in this report fits in, reinforcing the age target when it comes to calcinosis cutis [1,8,14]. In this case report, calcinosis cutis reached large proportions and was accompanied by clinical signs suggestive of endocrinopathy, such as alopecia, muscular atrophy, thin skin, polyuria and polydipsia.…”

“…After confirmation of the diagnosis of HAC, treatment with trilostane (Vetoryl ® ) 8 was applied at a dosage of 0.5 mg/kg in each 12 h, with dose adjustments every 21 days in order to minimize the chances of side effects. Amoxicillin with clavulanic acid (Agemoxi CL ® ) 9 at a dose of 25 mg/kg in each 12 h for 21 days was used to control secondary bacterial infection.…”

Adenocarcinoma of the Adrenal Gland in a Female Dog

“…e Zootec. 2022 ; v29: 001-006. alopecia without itchiness, among others (3)(4)(5). Besides the expected abnormalities, there are changes in leukogram, cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose.…”