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. 2021 May;35(3):1265-1273.
doi: 10.1111/jvim.16143. Epub 2021 May 15.

Calcium and phosphate homeostasis in dogs with newly diagnosed naturally occurring hypercortisolism

Andrea Corsini  1   2 , Francesco Dondi  1 , Daria G Serio  1 , Silvia Zamagni  1 , Stefania Golinelli  1 , Mercedes Fernandez  1 , Federico Fracassi  1
Affiliations

Calcium and phosphate homeostasis in dogs with newly diagnosed naturally occurring hypercortisolism

Andrea Corsini et al. J Vet Intern Med. 2021 May.

Abstract

Background: Hypercortisolism affects calcium and phosphate metabolism in dogs; however, the exact mechanisms are not completely understood.

Objectives: To evaluate circulating concentrations of whole parathormone (wPTH), 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-(OH)D), calcitriol, and fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF-23) in dogs with naturally occurring hypercortisolism (NOHC) and healthy dogs, and their association with calcium and phosphate homeostasis.

Animals: Twenty-three client-owned dogs with NOHC, and 12 client or staff-owned healthy dogs.

Methods: Prospective cross-sectional study. The circulating concentrations of total calcium, ionized calcium (iCa), phosphate, wPTH, 25-(OH)D, calcitriol and FGF-23, and the urinary fractional excretion of phosphate (FEP) and calcium (FECa) were compared between dogs with NOHC before treatment and healthy dogs.

Results: Dogs with NOHC had higher mean serum phosphate concentrations (4.81 mg/dL, SD ± 0.71 vs 3.86 mg/dL, SD ± 0.60; P < .001), median FECa (0.43%, range, 0.03-2.44 vs 0.15%, range, 0.06-0.35; P = .005), and median serum wPTH concentrations (54.6 pg/mL, range, 23.7-490 vs 24.6 pg/mL, range, 5.5-56.4; P = .003) as compared to the controls. Circulating concentrations of total calcium, iCa, and calcitriol and the FEP did not differ between groups, whereas the serum 25-(OH)D concentrations were lower in dogs with NOHC as compared to the controls (70.2 pg/mL, SD ± 42.3 vs 106.3 pg/mL, SD ± 35.3; P = .02). The dogs with NOHC had lower plasma FGF-23 concentrations than controls (316.6 pg/mL, range, 120.8-575.6 vs 448.7 pg/mL, range, 244.8-753; P = .03).

Conclusions and clinical importance: Urine loss of calcium and hyperphosphatemia could contribute to the adrenal secondary hyperparathyroidism.

Keywords: FGF-23; calcitriol; hyperadrenocorticism; parathyroid hormone; urinary calcium excretion; vitamin D.

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Conflict of interest statement

Authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Box and whiskers plots comparing (A) ionized calcium concentrations, (B) serum phosphate concentrations, (C) urinary fractional excretion of calcium (FECa), and (D) urinary fractional excretion of phosphate (FEP) in dogs with naturally occurring hypercortisolism (NOHC) and healthy dogs. The boxes represent the interquartile range from the 25th to the 75th percentile. The horizontal bar in each box represents the median value. The whiskers represent the interquartile range from the 2.5th to the 97.5th percentile, with the outliers represented as dots. The dotted lines represent the limits of the reference interval. * P < .05
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Box and whiskers plots comparing serum concentrations of (A) whole parathyroid hormone (wPTH), (B) 25‐hydroxyvitamin D, (C) calcitriol, and (D) plasma fibroblast growth factor‐23 (FGF‐23) concentrations in dogs with naturally occurring hypercortisolism (NOHC) and healthy dogs. The boxes represent the interquartile range from the 25th to the 75th percentile. The horizontal bar in each box represents the median value. The whiskers represent the interquartile range from the 2.5th to the 97.5th percentile, with the outliers represented as dots. The dotted lines represent the limits of the reference interval. * P < .05
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Box and whiskers plots comparing the calcitriol to 25‐hydroxyvitamin D (25‐(OH)D) ratio between (A) dogs with naturally occurring hypercortisolism (NOHC) and healthy dogs and between (B) NOHC dogs with increased serum wPTH concentrations (hPTH), NOHC dogs with normal serum wPTH concentrations (nPTH), and healthy dogs. The boxes represent the interquartile range from the 25th to the 75th percentile. The horizontal bar in each box represents the median value. The whiskers represent the interquartile range from the 2.5th to the 97.5th percentile, with the outliers represented as dots. The dotted lines represent the limits of the reference interval. *P < .05
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Spearman's correlation between (A) the calcitriol to 25‐hydroxyvitamin D (25‐(OH)D) ratio and serum whole parathyroid hormone (wPTH) concentrations and (B) the calcitriol to 25‐(OH)D ratio and plasma fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF‐23) concentrations, in dogs with naturally occurring hypercortisolism
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