From:
Bruce Williams, DVM
Date: 2001-03-20 21:03:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Tennessee Panel verses Cornell
--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., "Shortley, Lisa" <shortleylj@m...>
wrote:
> My vet sent my ferrets' blood to Cornell to have their estrogen
levels
> checked, not University of Tennessee...
>
> She said it was meaningless to run the entire Tennessee panel. Is
there a
> difference between "estrodiol" and "estrogen"?
Estrogen is a broad term covering a number of compounds which have
similar effects. Estradiol is one particular compound, which is
considered to be the ultimate hormone of the estrogenic pathway.
There are a number of intermediate compounds which in ferrets can
exert the same effects (hair loss, vulvar swelling, a return to
intact behavior), but which are not yet estradiol.)
>
> The estrogen level was what was used to diagnose my 1.5 year old
boy last
> year for sure - and to check my other two ferrets more recently.
It cost
> $45 for the estrogen level to be checked at Cornell verses the
$140+ to have
> the Tennessee panel done. Not that money is important in this
case - but I
> really want to understand what's significant between the two...
> Is this not a good diagnostic tool?
For those who like to read the detailed information, at the BOTTOM of
this post, I am including an abstract from Dr. Karen Rosenthal, who
is the pioneer in hormonal testing of adrenal disease in ferrets.
Let me summarize, though. Of the original 7 hormones tested in the
original Tennessee profile, three hormones, (estradiol, 17-
hydroxyprogesterone, and androstenedione) were considered
significant. In this study, only 22% of ferrets had all three
hormones elevated. Thus, if you are testine for only one of the
three hormones (in this case estradiol), you run a significant risk
of having the test being a false negative. Similar signs can result
from elevations of 17-hydroxyprogesterone, or androstenedione (an
androgen intermeidate of estradiol). The bottom line of Dr.
Rosenthal's research was this: "Because concentration of a
particular hormone was not high in all ferrets, we recommend
determining plasma concentrations of several sex steroids, including
androstenedione, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, and estradiol."
Estradiol testing is available in a number of labs, not just
Cornell's. If that particular test is elevated, you have your
diagnosis. But if it is not, you haven't eliminated a diagnosis of
adrenal disease.
With kindest regards,
Bruce H. Williams, DVM, DACVP
Join the Ferret Health List at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ferret-Health-list
****************************
Evaluation of plasma androgen and estrogen concentrations in ferrets
with hyperadrenocorticism.
Rosenthal KL, Peterson ME
Department of Medicine, Animal Medical Center, New York, NY 10021,
USA.
OBJECTIVE: To determine plasma concentrations of steroid hormones in
ferrets with hyperadrenocorticism associated with adrenocortical
neoplasia or nodular hyperplasia of the adrenal gland, the effect of
surgical removal of the affected adrenal gland on concentrations of
these hormones, and whether any hormone concentrations could be used
as a marker for the disease. DESIGN: Prospective case series.
ANIMALS: 32 ferrets with hyperadrenocorticism associated with
adrenocortical neoplasia or nodular hyperplasia of the adrenal gland.
PROCEDURE: A blood sample was obtained from each ferret before
adrenalectomy. In 26 of the 32 ferrets, a second blood sample was
collected 24 to 48 hours after adrenalectomy. Plasma concentrations
of 7 hormones were measured (cortisol, estradiol, testosterone,
progesterone, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, androstenedione, and
dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate). RESULTS: Median plasma
concentrations of 17-hydroxyprogesterone, androstenedione, and
dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate were significantly higher in ferrets
with adrenal gland disease, compared with concentrations in
clinically normal ferrets. After adrenalectomy, median concentrations
of estradiol, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, and androstenedione decreased
significantly. Of 23 ferrets in which concentrations of estradiol, 17-
hydroxyprogesterone, and androstenedione all were measured, 22 (96%)
had high concentrations of at least 1 of these 3 hormones, but only 5
(22%) ferrets had high concentrations of all 3 hormones. CLINICAL
IMPLICATIONS: The condition that develops in ferrets with adrenal
gland disease apparently is caused by excessive secretion of 1 or
more steroids other than cortisol. Because concentration of a
particular hormone was not high in all ferrets, we recommend
determining plasma concentrations of several sex steroids, including
androstenedione, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, and estradiol.