Introduction
Addison’s disease, also known as hypoadrenocorticism, is a condition that develops when a deficiency in the body’s adrenocortical hormones occurs. Addison’s disease is classified into primary or secondary conditions. Addison's Disease rarely occurs in cats.
Causes of Addison's Disease
The cause of a primary Addison’s disease condition is not always known, but it is believed to be related to a possibly inherited immune condition in addition to cancerous tumors, destruction of the adrenal gland, sudden hemorrhage, or when a blood blockage develops in the body. Secondary Addison’s disease occurs when steroid medication therapies are suddenly withdrawn.
Symptoms of Addision's Disease
The clinical signs of Addison’s disease can vary, but they usually result in a loss of body condition including slow weight loss, poor skin and coat conditions, and a reduced appetite which often results in anorexia. Animals with Addison’s disease often suffer from diarrheal gastroenteritis, vomiting, and dehydration. In advanced cases the disease can mimic symptoms of shock including low body temperature, shaking, and slow heartbeat.
Diagnosing Addison's Disease
The diagnosis of Addison’s disease involves reviewing the animal’s recent medical history and conducting an ACTH stimulation test in addition to complete blood tests to check for any additional underlying cause of the symptoms.
Treating Addison's Disease
The treatment of Addison’s disease involves stabilizing the animal if it is in shock, and then addressing whether the animal is suffering from primary or secondary Addison’s. Secondary sufferers are placed back on their steroid medications and slowly withdrawn from them at a future date. Primary sufferers are treated using lifelong corticoid replacement therapy most often in the form of an oral medication known as fludrocortisones or Florinef, or as an injection known as DOCP.