Introduction
Addison’s disease, or hypoadrenocorticism, is an extremely rare disease in cats, and there is still a lot of information that is not known about feline Addison’s. This type of disease is, in most cases, caused by immune malfunction, and certain types of medications.
Causes of Addison's Disease in Cats
Addison’s disease causes a reduction in thyroid hormones which in turn slows down normal metabolism functions. As the thyroid hormones decrease the cat will begin to experience a variety of symptoms, and without treatment the condition is life threatening.
Reported cases of cats with Addison’s disease have shown most of the cases occurred in cats between one and nine years of age. Both males and females are affected by the disease. Currently there is no information on whether or not specific types of breeds may be at an increased risk for any type of Addison’s risk.
There are two types of Addison’s disease which may occur: primary hypoadrenocorticism and secondary hypoadrenocorticism. The cause of primary Addison’s can be due to a tumor on the adrenal gland which is usually cancerous. However, most cases of primary Addison’s are caused when the immune system begins to attack adrenal tissue; why the immune system suddenly begins to attack this tissues is not yet fully understood.
Secondary Addison’s disease can be caused by a tumor on the pituitary gland or sudden withdrawal from cortisone medications such as prednisone. Pituitary tumors in this case are normally benign and life long medications can be used to control the condition.