Hipoadrenocorticismo primário no cão - UTL Repository ...

ABSTRACT
PRIMARY HYPOADRENOCORTICISM IN DOG:
RETROSPECTIVE STUDY OF 10 CLINICAL CASES
Hypoadrenocorticism is an endocrine disease, uncommon in dogs (or maybe subdiagnosed),
that results in a deficient production of mineralcorticoids and glucocorticoids by the adrenal
gland. The destruction of the adrenal cortex defined primary hypoadrenocorticism, or
Addison’s disease, and it’s the more frequent cause of adrenal cortex hipofunction in dogs.
The causes of the disease are varied, but an autoimmune or idiopathic disturbance seem to be
the main factors.
Primary hypoadrenocorticism is a systemic disease with a chronic progression and with
multiple implications in different organs; therefore the disease presents a vast clinical
variability. Sometimes this variability makes the diagnosis hard to be made, once it can be
mistaken with other diseases like renal insufficiency and chronic gastroenteritis. The
diagnosis should be made the quickest possible, once, when the correct replacement therapy
in these animals is settled, the disease has a better prognostic.
The main goal of this retrospective study was to evaluate the clinical, physical and
laboratorial data of ten cases of primary hypoadrenocorticism, in a period of two years.
Animals with a positive diagnostic of the disease were selected and a revision of the clinical
history, physical examination, evaluation of the laboratorial blood data (CBC, ionogram, renal
biochemical analysis and pH) and a stimulation test with adrenocorticotropic hormone
(ACTH) was made. Though subjective, the clinical manifestations were in all the cases very
similar. The prerenal azotaemia was present in all animals. No alterations were observed in
blood cells count. The Na + /K + ratio is according with similar studies, as well as low levels of
cortisol pre- and post-ACTH. Finally, after data analysis we were able to conclude that the
Na + /K + ratio and stimulation test with ACTH are the main tools to confirm the diagnostic of
primary hypoadrenocorticism.
Keywords: Primary hypoadrenocorticism, Addison’s disease, dog.