Iatrogenic Cushing's syndrome and steroid hepatopathy in a cat

Abstract

The distinguishing clinical features of Cushing's syndrome in the cat include very friable skin, a high incidence of diabetes mellitus, and the general absence of steroid hepatopathy. This case report describes a nine-year-old, spayed female domestic shorthair with triamcinolone-induced Cushing's syndrome. Unique to this cat were markedly elevated liver enzymes which prompted an expanded clinical evaluation. An ultrasonographic-guided liver biopsy demonstrated diffuse hepatocellular vacuolation that stained periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) positive and was removed subsequently with diastase application, indicating glycogen accumulation. These findings are compatible with the rarely seen syndrome of steroid hepatopathy in the cat.