Prevalence of acromegaly, Cushing’s disease and pancreatitis in cats with diabetes.

Abstract

The regulation of cats with diabetes is a difficult path with countless factors that can complicate matters. Recognizing acromegaly, Cushing’s disease or pancreatitis in an early stage can aid in both the therapeutic path ahead as well as the prognosis. 138 cats with diabetes in the Netherlands have been examined for aforementioned diseases, they have undergone physical examination and lab tests have been done on their blood and urine. Particularly in the case of acromegaly, the high prevalence found in this study (31,1%) is in line with recent research. What immediately draws notice is the increased prevalence in male cats (39,1%) compared to female specimens (11,4%). Which could prove to be additional leverage in veterinary practice in the decision whether or not to test a cat when the diagnosis of diabetes has been made. Diagnosing pancreatitis and Cushing’s disease is challenging, and the absence of an affordable yet reliable test made it difficult to provide significant data regarding these conditions.