http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/message/14518 >Re: Iatrogenic Cushing's > >Hi Bonnie, Meryl, and everyone > >Looks like there is still confusion, and I hope I did not add to it. >Let me clear up the confusion about adrenal disease and possible >Iatrogenic Cushings disease. > >First a little definition time. >Iatrogenic means to inadvertently cause a disease. In other words side >effects or adverse effects from a treatment or medication. In real >simple terms, the medicine causes a problem. > >Cushings syndrome is an illness from chronic exposure to cortisol. It >is an illness seen in people, dogs and rarely in cats (not ferrets). >In DOGS signs include drinking more and urinating more, an enlarged >abdomen (potbelly), hair loss, muscle weakness, obesity, panting, an >enlarged liver, increased bruisability, and reproduction problems. >Again that was signs for DOGS. > >Now lets combine the 2 words. Iatrogenic Cushings means having side >effects from a medication (in this case pred) that is similar to >Cushings syndrome. > >Why does pred cause side effects similar to cortisol? Because pred >is similar to cortisol. The side effects of long term use of pred >in ferrets can include a pot belly (pred belly), a thin hair coat, >drinking more/urinating more and diabetes. > >This is NOT the same thing as adrenal gland disease in ferrets. Pred >does NOT cause adrenal enlargement or adrenal tumors. Adrenal gland >disease in ferrets is from the adrenal glands over producing the sex >hormones and androgens (estrogen, andro, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, and >DHEA) and not from cortisol. Thus the common problem in ferrets is >very different from Cushings in dogs. Signs of adrenal gland disease >in ferrets include hair loss and alopecia, itchy skin, increased musky >odor, swollen vulva in females, enlarged prostates in males, mammary >gland enlargement, enlarged adrenal glands, anemia, return of sexual >behavior, aggressive behavior, and loss of muscles. > >The only sign from long term pred use that is similar to adrenal gland >disease is the thinning of the hair coat. Pred does not cause the >adrenal gland to enlarge or adrenal tumors. Pred does not cause the >vulva to enlarge or the prostate to enlarge. Pred does not cause the >return of sexual behavior or aggressive behavior. Pred does not cause >an increase in musky odor, etc. Most vets (that see ferrets) can tell >the difference between the very common adrenal gland disease and the >side effects from long term pred use. > >If they are not sure what is causing the hair loss, then a Tennessee >panel can be done to check the levels of the sex hormones and adrenal >androgens. > >Hope that clear things up, >Jerry Murray, DVM carried over with standing author's permission by an FHL moderator: Sukie (not a vet) Recommended ferret health links: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/ http://ferrethealth.org/archive/ http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html http://www.miamiferret.org/ http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/ http://www.ferretcongress.org/ http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html all ferret topics: http://listserv.ferretmailinglist.org/archives/ferret-search.html "All hail the procrastinators for they shall rule the world tomorrow." (2010, Steve Crandall) [Posted in FML 6990]