Acromegaly in Cats, Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment Methods

Acromegaly in Cats, Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment Methods

Acromegaly in cats, also known as Hypersomatotropism, is a condition caused by the chronic overproduction of growth hormone in the brain. The primary cause of this disease in adult or senior cats is usually the formation of brain tumors.

Which Cats Are More Prone to Developing Acromegaly?

The average age of onset is 11 years (ranging from 4 to 19 years), with 70% being neutered male cats and over 80% being short-haired domestic cats.

What is Growth Hormone? What Are the Effects of Excessive Growth Hormone?

Growth hormone is a hormone responsible for regulating the synthesis and metabolism of proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates in organs throughout the body, while also promoting cell proliferation.

Excessive growth hormone can lead to decreased cellular response to insulin, with the most common consequence being the onset of secondary diabetes.

In addition to this, due to the hormone’s stimulating effect on growth, it may lead to overdevelopment of the face, limbs, and abdominal organs.

Symptoms of Feline Acromegaly (Excessive Growth Hormone Secretion)?

Many people mistakenly believe that only the presence of “acromegaly” can lead to a diagnosis of acromegaly, but in reality, most cats do not show obvious external abnormalities in the early stages due to facial fur, breed and individual differences, as well as the chronic progression of the disease. Most cats are usually diagnosed with acromegaly after being diagnosed with diabetes, due to difficulty in controlling blood sugar, and are further diagnosed by a veterinarian as having acromegaly.

Statistics show that about 25% to 30% of cats have diabetes that is difficult to control due to acromegaly.

The following are possible symptoms of acromegaly:

  • Diabetes-related symptoms (increased thirst, urination, and appetite)
  • Weight gain (weight loss may also occur)
  • Increased appetite.
  • High-pitched stridor during inhalation, or possible snoring.
  • Widened face
  • Prominent chin
  • Enlarged palmar parts of the limbs
  • Abdominal distension
  • Abnormal walking (which may be caused by joint disease or diabetic neuropathy)
  • Diabetic patients still have difficulty controlling blood sugar even with very high doses of medication.
  • Heart murmurs, which can even lead to congestive heart failure.
  • Central nervous system symptoms (such as circling, blindness, epilepsy, depression)
Acromegaly in Cats, Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment Methods

Are There Any Tests to Confirm Whether My Cat Really Has Acromegaly?

Currently, a feasible method of diagnosis is measuring the concentration of IGF-1 in the serum, but the bad news is that Taiwan has not yet established the standard range for laboratories. If testing is required, it must be sent to a specialized laboratory abroad.

In addition, since brain benign adenomas are common in causing related diseases, tumors of the pituitary gland can be examined by computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). However, even if no tumors are found, it is still not possible to completely rule out the possibility of symptoms caused by tiny adenomas or hyperplasia.

Can Feline Acromegaly Be Treated?

Regrettably, the currently feasible treatment methods in Taiwan are only radiation therapy, or internal control for secondary diabetes and its symptoms.

The standard treatment methods for feline acromegaly are as follows:

  • Pituitary surgery: Abroad, the gold standard for the treatment of feline acromegaly is pituitary surgery, which removes the tumor through the cat’s mouth and nasopharynx. 85% of cats achieve remission of diabetes within two months after surgery, and the remaining cats achieve good blood sugar control with a regular dose of insulin. These cats need to take hormone supplements for life.
  • Medical drug treatment: Using hormone preparations to suppress growth hormone, among which pasireotide is a drug with good research results, divided into short-acting and long-acting two injection formulations. 1/4 of the cats achieved remission of diabetes after injecting the long-acting formulation. Its disadvantages include mild gastrointestinal side effects, high costs, and the drug is not yet approved for use in animals in Taiwan.
  • Radiation therapy: At present, radiation therapy has not established a clear curative effect on this disease. However, if surgery and drug treatment are not feasible, radiation therapy can still be considered to try to reduce the volume of the tumor and alleviate the symptoms caused by the tumor.
  • Treatment of secondary diseases: If the above three tumor-targeted treatments cannot be carried out, the most common secondary diabetes must be treated. In addition to following the basic treatment principles of diabetes, the dose of insulin is usually very high, which may increase the risk of intermittent hypoglycemia. In addition, it is also necessary to treat arthritis, heart failure, chronic kidney disease, or central nervous system symptoms caused by acromegaly. If there is severe hyperphagia, it is recommended to consider using appetite-suppressing drugs for treatment.

Conclusion

Feline acromegaly was once considered a rare disease, but with the advancement of diagnostic tools and knowledge, a large-scale study in the UK found that 26% of diabetic cats also have acromegaly. At present in Taiwan, there is still a lack of convenient diagnostic and treatment options, but it is still recommended, especially for those cats with poor blood sugar control, to consider sending out test specimens to rule out this disease, which helps to diagnose and treat other potential complications as early as possible.

Original article by KPTer, if reproduced, please cite the source: https://www.kaipet.com/en/acromegaly-cats-symptoms-diagnosis-treatment-methods

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