Abstract
The aim of the study was to determine the frequency and age-dependency of adrenal changes in dogs and cats, which were dissected between 2004 and 2006 at the Institute of Veterinary Pathology, LMU Munich. The adrenal glands of 101 dogs and 159 cats were dissected free from adjacent tissue, weighed, lamellated perpendicular to its longitudinal axis and were embedded in paraffin and plastic for histologic inspection. Ageing cats most frequently showed accessory cortical nodules in the capsule, cortex and medulla, pigment deposition and shock bodies. The appearance of accessory cortical nodules and pigment deposition were linked to the age of the cats and that of shock bodies was linked to infectious diseases. Inflammatory alterations were rare and neoplastic changes were not observed. In dogs, the most frequent alterations were accessory cortical nodules in the capsule, cortex and medulla and circulatory disturbances and there was a significant linkage of the appearance of cortical nodules and pigment deposition and age. Metabolic, inflammatory and tumorous diseases were rarely observed in the dogs examined. In summary, cats and dogs show similar incidental alterations of the adrenals. Clinical relevant adrenal lesions such as atrophy or primary neoplasia were rarely diagnosed.
Highlights
In cats and dogs, clinical relevant primary adrenal diseases are rare
The adrenal glands of 159 cats and 101 dogs, which were submitted to the Institute of Veterinary Pathology, LMU Munich for necropsy were dissected free from adjacent tissue, weighed and fixed by immersion in 4% paraformaldehyde for at least 24 hours, lamellated perpendicular to its longitudinal axis and embedded in paraffin and plastic [3]
In the majority of cats and dogs, infectious diseases and tumors were the main cause of death or euthanasia
Summary
Clinical relevant primary adrenal diseases are rare. Cases of hyperadrenocorticism due to pituitary or adrenal tumors are reported as well as primary sex-hormone producing adrenal tumors, hyperaldosteron-How to cite this paper: Herbach, N., Wiele, K., Konietschke, U. and Hermanns, W. (2016) Pathologic Alterations of Canine and Feline Adrenal Glands. Clinical relevant primary adrenal diseases are rare. Cases of hyperadrenocorticism due to pituitary or adrenal tumors are reported as well as primary sex-hormone producing adrenal tumors, hyperaldosteron-. (2016) Pathologic Alterations of Canine and Feline Adrenal Glands. Incidental findings include degenerative changes e.g. mineralization of the adrenal cortex, amyloidosis and hemorrhages. Adrenalitis occurs due to growth of bacteria (E. coli), fungi (Histoplasma capsulatum, Cryptococcus neoformans, Coccidioides immitis), protozoa (Toxoplasma gondii) and viruses. Accessory adrenocortical nodules, which are frequently observed in ageing cats, diffuse cortical hyperplasia or nodular hyperplasia of aging dogs, cats and horses, and adrenocortical tumors are sometimes difficult to distinguish from one another [2]
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