17 Jan 2025
Paul Imrie
Job TitleHypercalcaemia is more frequent in cats with hypoadrenocorticism than previously thought, a worldwide study of cases has shown.
Findings also documented a form of hypoadrenocorticism exists without hyponatraemia and hyperkalaemia and that testing for exocrine pancreatic insufficiency may be warranted in cats diagnosed with the condition.
The research also indicated a favourable long-term prognosis for cats with non-neoplastic associated hypoadrenocorticism that survive their initial hospitalisation.
Research on feline hypoadrenocorticism is sparse, and those behind the study – published in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine and supported by the Small Animal Medicine Society (SAMSoc) – set out to describe clinical findings, treatment response and outcome in cats with the condition.
It was coordinated to present the largest cohort of cases in cats with the rare condition – 41 cats from 24 referral hospitals across 14 countries featured in the retrospective observational study.
Within the cohort, 36 of the 41 had hyponatraemia, hyperkalaemia or both, with the median age 5.7 years and a male-female split of 23 to 18, respectively.
Cats with hyponatraemia, hyperkalaemia or both were less likely to have a history of vomiting, but were more likely to be hypothermic, dehydrated and/or weak on examination.
Frequency of hypercalcaemia was 31.7%, while exocrine pancreatic insufficiency was diagnosed in 4 of 7 cases where it was tested for. All four cats had concurrent cobalamin deficiency.
Emma Roberts, senior internal medicine clinician at Bristol Vet Specialists, who led the study, said: “Feline hypoadrenocorticism is sparsely reported in the veterinary literature, with most reports limited to one or two cases. To date there have only been three single case reports of cats with hypoadrenocorticism not associated with hyponatraemia, hyperkalaemia or both.
“Our worldwide study was warranted to enhance our understanding of this disease in cats. We are pleased that we now have the data both to describe the clinical findings of a large population of cats with this disease and to document their response to treatment and outcome and can share our findings with our colleagues in the veterinary profession.”
