Prevalence of acromegaly in cats with diabetes mellitus in the Netherlands

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus affects about 2% of the cat population in all countries. According to the literature 80-95% is affected by type II diabetes mellitus, and 5-20% by type III diabetes mellitus, caused by underlying conditions. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of acromegaly in diabetic cats. For a long time, acromegaly was considered a very rare condition in cats, but recent studies have shown percentages up till 32% with elevated insulin-like growth factor-I, an indicator for acromegaly. Diabetic cats were clinically examined and, blood and urine samples were taken. 21-31% of 123 examined cats had elevated IGF-1 concentrations in the blood, depending on the cut off value used for elevated IGF-1 (1000 vs 800 μg/l). No correlation was found between plasma IGF-1 concentration and plasma fructosamine concentration. There was a correlation between insulin dose and IGF-1 concentration, indicating difficult glycemic control in acromegaly. Difficult glycemic control is known in acromegaly cats, because of induced insulin resistance.