Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Multicenter Study
. 2023 Sep-Oct;37(5):1685-1693.
doi: 10.1111/jvim.16786. Epub 2023 Jun 29.

Prevalence of hypercalcemia in primary hypoadrenocorticism in dogs: Multicenter, retrospective study

Harriet Hall  1   2 , Timothy Williams  1 , Jessica Florey  2 , Mireia Pascual Moreno  2 , Victoria Black  3 , Daniel Thompson  4 , Barbara Skelly  1
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

Prevalence of hypercalcemia in primary hypoadrenocorticism in dogs: Multicenter, retrospective study

Harriet Hall et al. J Vet Intern Med. 2023 Sep-Oct.

Abstract

Background: Hypoadrenocorticism is an important differential for hypercalcemia. The etiology of hypercalcemia in hypoadrenocorticism in dogs is unclear.

Objective: To review the prevalence of hypercalcemia and use statistical models to identify clinical, demographic, and biochemical variables associated with hypercalcemia in dogs with primary hypoadrenocorticism.

Animals: One hundred ten dogs with primary hypoadrenocorticism; 107 with recorded total calcium (TCa), 43 recorded ionized calcium (iCa).

Methods: Multicenter retrospective observational study at 4 UK referral hospitals. Univariable logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the association between independent variables of signalment, hypoadrenocorticism type (glucocorticoid only deficient hypoadrenocorticism [GHoC] vs glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid deficient hypoadrenocorticism [GMHoC]), clinicopathological variables and hypercalcemia. Hypercalcemia was defined as elevated TCa, an elevated iCa, or both elevated TCa and iCa (Model 1) or as elevated iCa (Model 2).

Results: Overall prevalence of hypercalcemia was 34.5% (38/110). The odds of hypercalcemia (Model 1) were increased (P < .05) in dogs with GMHoC ([vs GHoC], OR [odds ratio] = 3.86, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.105-13.463), higher serum creatinine (OR = 1.512, 95% CI 1.041-2.197), and higher serum albumin (OR = 4.187, 95% CI 1.744-10.048). The odds of ionized hypercalcemia (Model 2) were increased (P < .05) with reduced serum potassium concentration (OR = 0.401, 95% CI 0.184-0.876) and younger age (OR = 0.737, 95% CI 0.558-0.974).

Conclusions and clinical importance: This study identified several key clinical and biochemical variables associated with hypercalcemia in dogs with primary hypoadrenocorticism. These findings aid understanding of the pathophysiology and etiology of hypercalcemia in dogs with primary hypoadrenocorticism.

Keywords: glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid-deficient hypoadrenocorticism; glucocorticoid only deficient hypoadrenocorticism; ionized calcium; total calcium.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Authors declare no conflict of interest.

References

    1. Gershony LC, Belanger JM, Hytönen MK, Lohi H, Famula TR, Oberbauer AM. Genetic characterization of Addison's disease in Bearded Collies. BMC Genomics. 2020;21(1):833. doi:10.1186/s12864-020-07243-0 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Friedenberg SG, Brown DL, Meurs KM, Law JM. Lymphocyte subsets in the adrenal glands of dogs with primary hypoadrenocorticism. Vet Pathol. 2018;55(1):177‐181. doi:10.1177/0300985816684914 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Decôme M, Blais MC. Prevalence and clinical features of hypoadrenocorticism in Great Pyrenees dogs in a referred population: 11 cases. Can Vet J. 2017;58(10):1093‐1099. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Peterson ME, Kintzer PP, Kass PH. Pretreatment clinical and laboratory findings in dogs with hypoadrenocorticism: 225 cases (1979‐1993). J Am Vet Med Assoc. 1996;208(1):85‐91. - PubMed
    1. Guzmán Ramos PJ, Bennaim M, Shiel RE, Mooney CT. Diagnosis of canine spontaneous hypoadrenocorticism. Canine Med Genet. 2022;9(1):6. doi:10.1186/s40575-022-00119-4 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types