Impact of an auditory stimulus on baseline cortisol concentrations in clinically normal dogs
Baseline cortisol concentrations are routinely used to screen dogs for hypoadrenocorticism
(HOC); this diagnosis must then be confirmed with an ACTH stimulation test. A baseline
cortisol concentration less than 55 nmol/L (2 μg/dL) is highly sensitive for HOC but lacks
specificity, with a false positive rate> 20%. Many dogs with nonadrenal disease are therefore
subjected to unnecessary additional testing. It was hypothesized that exposure to an
unpleasant auditory stimulus before sample collection would improve the specificity of�…
(HOC); this diagnosis must then be confirmed with an ACTH stimulation test. A baseline
cortisol concentration less than 55 nmol/L (2 μg/dL) is highly sensitive for HOC but lacks
specificity, with a false positive rate> 20%. Many dogs with nonadrenal disease are therefore
subjected to unnecessary additional testing. It was hypothesized that exposure to an
unpleasant auditory stimulus before sample collection would improve the specificity of�…