Canine hypoadrenocorticism is a potentially life-threatening endocrine disorder characterized by glucocorticoid deficiency, with or without concurrent mineralocorticoid deficiency. The current standard for diagnosing hypoadrenocorticism is the ACTH stimulation test, but a simpler and less expensive test with similar accuracy would be desirable. Previous studies regarding the diagnostic utility of basal plasma or serum Cortisol concentrations are limited by low numbers of affected dogs, and receiver operating characteristics (ROC) methods were not utilized to identify optimal cut-off points. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the diagnostic utility of basal Cortisol concentrations for the diagnosis of hypoadrenocorticism in a large number of dogs by constructing an ROC curve to identify optimal cut-offs for sensitivity and specificity. Furthermore, the diagnostic utility was evaluated in two sub-populations of dogs: those with electrolyte abnormalities (Na:K ratio <28) and those without electrolyte abnormalities (Na:K ratio >28).
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