From:
"Sukie Crandall"
Date: 2008-10-22 17:46:14 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: Wet Cough
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
--- In ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com, "Kim" <Forgewizard@...> wrote:
> I did a simple online search for "Ferret Pneumonia" and one of the
> sites listed Hyperadrenocorticism" as a contributing factor for
> pneumonia. I'll see if I cna find it again.
The form of hyperadrenocorticism in ferrets is NOT the
Cushings Disease found most other species so you must
remember the that term "hyperadrenocorticism" is a
broad umbrella and that there are different types with
different possible results. Just mentioning overgrowth of
the adrenal cortex is not specific in relation to the results.
In other species the result tends to be Cushings Disease,
very different from what ferrets get. Ferrets are NOT
dealing with the cortisol level changes other species get
(and THAT is what I noticed mentioned in relation to
pneumonia in some species when I did a quick look:
not estrogen, but cortisol -- i.e. NOT applicable for ferrets
in what i found)
The type of adrenal disease ferrets get is almost always the
hyper-hormonal kind, not steroidal:
http://www.afip.org/consultation/vetpath/ferrets/aae.html
BEGIN QUOTED SEGMENTS:
...Alopecia, or hair loss, is the most common sign of a very
prevalent syndrome in American ferrets known as
adrenal-associated endocrinopathy, or AAE. (The disease
may also be referred to as hyperadrenocorticism in the ferret,
but as discussed below, NOT Cushing's disease.)
...
AAE is caused by the presence of a proliferative lesion
within the adrenal cortex, the region which is responsible
for secreting a number of important hormones. The adrenal
cortex secretes steroids that regulate mineral balances in the
body, steroids that moderate the "fight or flight" syndrome
and our responses to stress, and also secretes small amounts
of sex steroids, such as estrogen. It is this last hormone,
estrogen, which results in all of the signs of AAE in the ferret.
...
The source of the hyperestrogenism in affected animals is
a proliferative lesion in one (or in approximately 15% of cases,
both) adrenals. (Please note: The term "proliferative lesion" is
preferable to adrenal "cancer" or even the less objectionable
term adrenal "tumor", as only about half of these lesions are
true neoplasms, the rest being nodules of adrenocortical
hyperplasia.)
...
In most cases, diagnosis is based on clinical signs. Complete
blood counts and chemistry panels will be within normal
limits in the vast majority of animals, except in longstanding
cases in which anemia or decreased platelet numbers may
be seen. As the elevated hormone in AAE is estrogen, not
cortisol, practitioners should be aware that serum cortisol is
rarely if ever elevated, and diagnostic testing for Cushing's
disease will be of little or no diagnostic value. While serum
levels of estradiol may be measured at commercial labs,
elevation of estradiol precursors or intermediates are
responsible for clinical signs in many cases, and estradiol
measurements may be within normal ranges. A new blood
panel is available at the Department of Endocrinology at
the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine
which measures not only levels of serum estradiol but six
other intermediates. Although the test is extremely sensitive
(resulting in positive diagnosis in over 90% of cases) it is
expensive and takes several weeks to complete, and should
be reserved for cases in which clinical signs are marginal.
...
END QUOTE
As far as i know that is still accurate except for the test no longer being new.
So, you have to be very, very, very, very, very careful because papers in
other species on overgrowths of the adrenal cortex involve changes in
CORTISOL levels and the effects that has are ENTIRELY DIFFERENT from
the increases in sex hormones that ferrets get.
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