Endocrinology Flashcards
What is the pathogenesis of hypersomatotropism in cats?
pituitary tumor producing GH–>increased IGF-1–>tissue proliferation and insulin resistance
What is the pathogenesis of hypersomatotropism in dogs?
mammary tissue producing GH, usually as a result of hyperprogesteronemia
will still get insulin resistance same as cats but in dogs this doesn’t result in diabetes mellitus
What is the typical signalment of a dog with hypersomatotropism?
intact female or history of progestin use
usually associated with dysmenorrhea
What is the typical signalment of a cat with hypersomatotropism?
Cat with difficult to manage diabetes mellitus/insulin resistance, PU/PD/polyphagia, may have prognathism/increased body size/organomegaly, if measured have high IGF-1 levels
What is the recommended treatment option for a cat with hypersomatotropism and what does post-treatment care include?
Hypophysectomy- will need supplementation of thyroxine, cortisol, and synthetic ADH post-op
**Pasireotide works as well for treatment of HST but is very expensive
What causes central diabetes insipidus?
primary pituitary problem- absolute ADH deficiency
Usually due to a space-occupying lesion in the pituitary gland
True or false: nephrogenic diabetes insipidus is caused by a primary renal problem?
False- usually caused by a metabolic problem causing renal dysfunction–>ADH “resistance”
Rarely a primary renal disorder
What clinical signs will you see with central diabetes insipidus?
Marked and unrelenting polydipsia and secondary polyuria, usually nothing else wrong with animal
What are the clinical signs you’d see with hyposomatotropism?
smaller animal but PROPORTIONAL
might have puppy fur
gonadotropin abnormalities- persistent estrus or infertility in males
What is the pathogenesis of hyposomatotropism?
adenohypophyseal malformation +/- maturation defect
GH deficiency, gonadotropin deficiency, and thyrotropin deficiency
Someone brings in two puppies that are siblings and 3 weeks old, one of them is noticeably smaller than the other but still has a proportional body. If the smaller puppy happened to have an endocrine disorder, is it more likely to be pituitary dwarfism or congenital hypothyroidism?
Congenital hypothyroidism- affected puppies show signs really early on (3-4 weeks of age)
Pituitary dwarfism puppies also have thyrotrophin deficiency but it’s usually not sufficient enough to affect them this early on in life
Name some processes Calcium is involved in
Nerve conduction and neuromuscular transmission
Muscle contraction
Intracellular messenger involved in cell signaling pathways
Coagulation
List the 3 main regulators of Calcium in the body
- PTH- increases Ca and decreases phosphate
- Active form of Vit D (calcitriol)- increases Ca AND phosphate
- Calcitonin (not much clinical significance)
What forms of Calcium make up total serum Calcium and which form do we care most about?
Ionized, complexed, and protein-bound
IONIZED (~50% of total) because active form
If you’re going to measure serum Calcium, what other things on the biochemistry do you need to look at and why?
- Albumin- will impact the protein-bound portion of total serum Calcium
* *If low albumin, total calcium may be low
* *If high albumin, total calcium may be high - Phosphate- checking calcium phosphate product that could cause irreversible soft tissue calcification
What is a consequence of prolonged, untreated hypercalcemia?
Irreversible damage to many organs, especially kidneys
True or false- if an animal has hypercalcemia on routine bloodwork but no clinical signs and appears normal on exam you should re-check in a year or if/when they develop clinical signs
False- should re-check right away and repeatable hypercalcemia should never be ignored, even if no clinical signs
If an animal has clinical signs associated with hypercalcemia, what would they be?
PU/PD, weakness/lethargy/depression, GIT signs, facial pruritus and oral discomfort, muscle twitching/fasciculations, cardiac tachydysrhythmias (rare), sudden death
Hypercalcemia can cause PU/PD and azotemia, what is the mechanism of each?
Interferes with ADH action in collecting duct, impairs NaCl resorption from LOH decreasing medullary hypertonicity
Causes vasoconstriction of afferent arterioles decreasing GFR, if phosphate high as well can cause nephron destruction by calcium phosphate deposits
True or false- it can be normal to have hypercalcemia in a rapidly growing, young dog
TRUE- considered non-pathological
What is the pathogenesis of primary hyperparathyroidism?
Adenoma of one of the parathyroid glands–>up-regulation of PTH
What are some neoplasms that cause increased PTH-like activity?
anal sac adenocarcinoma, lymphosarcoma, multiple myeloma, thymoma
**aka humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy
What will the levels of calcium and phosphate be if you have increased PTH or PTH-like activity?
Ionized hypercalcemia and low or low-normal phosphate
**Also PTH likely to be “inappropriately not suppressed” even if still in normal reference range or may have elevation in serum PTHrP
What are some causes of hypercalcemia that ARE NOT related to PTH or PTH-like activity AND what will their phosphate level be?
Vit D toxicity, granulomatous inflammation, hypoadrenocorticism, CKD, idiopathic in middle-aged cats, significant osteolysis, Mesothelioma
HIGH phosphate
A Keeshund comes in with primary hyperparathyroidism. Why have they developed this AND what will you see on ultrasound of their neck?
Genetically predisposed- will see one large adenomatous parathyroid gland and the other 3 have atrophied
A Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever comes in for pollakiuria, you run bloods along with the urinalysis and find hypercalcemia. What is one of the first things you should check for when looking for the reason for the hypercalcemia?
Primary hyperparathyroidism- check PTH and check if phosphate is low and maybe ultrasound neck
These dogs often seem normal but may develop urolithiasis and present with lower urinary tract signs
If an animal has hypercalcemia secondary to CKD, what will their phosphate level be?
HIGH
If kidney problems with hypercalcemia but low phosphate, the hypercalcemia cannot be due to the kidney disease (might actually be causing the kidney problems)
Hypercalcemia in cats is most often caused by:
CKD, idiopathic hypercalcemia
Hypercalcemia in dogs is most often caused by:
neoplasia, primary hyperparathyroidism
What are some treatments to reduce hypercalcemia?
fluid therapy, furosemide, bisphosphonates (pamidronate or alendronate)
What are some conditions that cause hypocalcemia and why does it need immediate treatment if causing clinical signs?
Anything that lowers albumin, pancreatitis
SEIZURES!!
What is the acute treatment for hypocalcemia?
IV 10% calcium gluconate
What is the subacute treatment for hypocalcemia?
Calcitriol or AT-10 orally
Where is the embryological defect that causes pituitary dwarfism?
Rathke’s pouch
What is the main cause of goiter?
Iodine deficiency
If you have an iodine deficiency, you can’t iodinate the thyroid hormones –> decreased T4 –> increased TSH –> thyroid hyperplasia
What immune cells cause destruction leading to hypothyroid?
T cells
What can we measure to help confirm a case of hypothyroid?
TGAA - thyroglobulin auto antibodies
What are some common clinical signs of hypothryoid?
Lethargy, weight gain Bilateral symmetrical alopecia Hyperpigmentation "scurfy" coat = dandruff * Mostly seen in dogs*
Why would ALP/ALT be raised with diabetes mellitus?
Because of fat deposition within the hepatocytes
What does alkalotic urine indicate?
UTI! Urease producing bacteria are presenting, therefore making the pH more alkaline
Can commonly be seen alongside DM