From:
Sue
Date: 2001-08-30 18:25:00 UTC
Subject: [Ferret-Health-list] RE- hypoglycemia/cataracts
Thanks for the quick response Dr. Murray. I read that article you
mentioned about cataracts. It did not mention insulinoma as a cause for
cataracts, but perhaps that article was written before Dr. MarlarÂ’s
claim that hypoglycemia causes cataracts. However, I still do not
understand how hypoglycemia can cause cataracts. Perhaps I am missing
something so I asked my boss and his new associate (both board certified
ophthalmologists) what the mechanism could be behind hypoglycemia
causing cataracts. They said it is impossible. They feel it is just a
coincidence and ferret has cataracts for another reason.
Thanks for any help you can give us.
Take care = )
Sue
-----Original Message-----
From: AFERRETVET@c... [mailto:AFERRETVET@c...]
Sent: Wednesday, August 29, 2001 8:31 PM
To: Ferret-Health-list@yahoogroups.com
Hi Sue,
I have noticed a lot of my insulinoma patients have cataracts.
I first thought this was from pred. (Yes, unfortunately pred can
cause cataracts, but it is rare. The same problem with the human nasal
steroids for allergies ie. nasonex, flonase, etc.) Then I noticed some
with cataracts before pred and most of the ones that are on pred develop
cataracts late in the disease when pred is no longer doing a good job
controlling the hypoglycemia. I talked to Dr Annajane Marlar about this.
She is a board certified ophthalmologist here in Dallas. She did her
residency at the U of Wisconsin and was one of the authors of the
article: Cataracts in a laboratory colony of ferrets. (The colony was
there
at the University and the problem was from the diet.) Anyways she said
that
hypoglycemia can cause cataracts just like hyperglycemia (diabetes) can
cause them. She also had the chance to do some cataract surgeries on
the ferrets there at U of Wisconsin.
Hope that helps,
Jerry Murray, DVM