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Home / Equine Research Bank / J Vet Emerg Crit Care (San Antonio) / Assessment of the impact of age and of blood-derived inflamm...
Journal of veterinary emergency and critical care (San Antonio, Tex. : 2001)2021; 31(6); 779-787; doi: 10.1111/vec.13099

Assessment of the impact of age and of blood-derived inflammatory markers in horses with colitis.

Abstract: To determine the impact of age on survival in horses with colitis and to elucidate whether a lower type-1/type-2 cytokine ratio or an exaggerated inflammatory state contribute to reduced survival in aged horses. Methods: Part 1: Retrospective cohort analysis. Part 2: Analytic observational study. Methods: Part 1: One hundred twenty-four adult horses with colitis. Part 2: Twenty-nine adult horses with new diarrhea onset while hospitalized. Results: Part 1: Patient signalment, select clinicopathological data, diagnoses, treatment, hospitalization length, and invoice were compared between survivors (n = 101) and nonsurvivors (n = 23). Only age and plasma transfusion retained statistical significance in the final multivariate outcome model, with 8.5 times lower odds of survival in transfused horses (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.6-27.2%). Additionally, the likelihood of nonsurvival increased by 11.8% (95% CI, 4-20.2%) for every year the horse aged (P = 0.002). Similarly, geriatric horses (≥20 years) were 15.2 times more likely to die than young-adults (2-12 years, P = 0.03), independent of financial investment, documented comorbidities, and duration of hospitalization. Part 2: Select cytokine analyses were performed on serum collected from hospitalized horses within 1 hour of diarrhea onset (T0) and 6 hours later. At T0, all recorded clinicopathological variables were comparable between geriatric and young-adult horses, suggesting a similar degree of systemic illness. The median concentration of type-2 cytokines interleukin-4 and interleukin-10, and type-1 cytokine interferon-γ did not differ between age groups. Inflammatory cytokines interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α were significantly higher in geriatric compared to young-adult horses at both sampling time points. Conclusions: Outcome of colitis was less favorable in aging horses and patients receiving a plasma transfusion. Although an exaggerated inflammatory state, based on increased interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α concentrations, in geriatric horses may contribute to reduced survival, a lower type-1/type-2 cytokines ratio was not identified in our geriatric population.
© Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society 2021.
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Publication Date: 2021-08-25 PubMed ID: 34432936DOI: 10.1111/vec.13099Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article
  • Observational Study
  • Veterinary

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research study investigates the effects of age and blood inflammation markers on the survival rates of horses suffering from colitis. It found that older horses and those receiving plasma transfusions had a lower survival rate and that elevated levels of certain inflammatory markers might play a role in reducing survival, although the ratios of different types of cytokines did not show a clear correlation to age.

Research Methodology

  • Part 1 of the research involved a retrospective analysis of a cohort of 124 adult horses with colitis. Comparisons were drawn between survivors (101 of the horses) and nonsurvivors (23 horses) based on various factors like age, plasma transfusion history, clinicopathological data, diagnosis, treatment, hospitalization duration, and expenditure.
  • In Part 2, an observational study was conducted on 29 adult horses that developed diarrhea while hospitalized. This section focused on an analysis of select cytokines, a type of immune system protein, performed on the horses’ serum within an hour of diarrhea onset and again after 6 hours.

Research Findings

  • In Part 1, the research found that in the final outcome model, age and plasma transfusion were the only variables that maintained statistical significance. Older horses and those that had received a plasma transfusion were less likely to survive.
  • A year-on-year increase in age led to an 11.8% increase in a likelihood of nonsurvival. Particularly, geriatric horses (20 years or older) were more than 15 times more likely to die than young adults (2-12 years), even when controlling for factors like financial investment, documented comorbidities, and length of hospital stay.
  • In Part 2, while the median concentration of type-1 (interferon-γ) and type-2 (interleukin-4, interleukin-10) cytokines did not differ drastically between age groups, inflammatory cytokines – interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α, were noticeably higher in older horses at both sampling points.

Conclusions

  • The study concludes that the survival rate of colitis is less favorable in aging horses and in patients receiving a plasma transfusion. The inflammatory state, indicated by increased levels of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α, may negatively affect survival rates in older horses.
  • However, the research did not identify a lower type-1/type-2 cytokines ratio in the older population of horses, which was one of the initial hypotheses.

Cite This Article

APA
Sage SE, Bedenice D, McKinney CA, Long AE, Pacheco A, Wagner B, Mazan MR, Paradis MR. (2021). Assessment of the impact of age and of blood-derived inflammatory markers in horses with colitis. J Vet Emerg Crit Care (San Antonio), 31(6), 779-787. https://doi.org/10.1111/vec.13099

Publication

Journal of veterinary emergency and critical care (San Antonio, Tex. : 2001)
ISSN: 1476-4431
NlmUniqueID: 101152804
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 31
Issue: 6
Pages: 779-787

Researcher Affiliations

Sage, Sophie E
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, North Grafton, Massachusetts, USA.
Bedenice, Daniela
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, North Grafton, Massachusetts, USA.
McKinney, Caroline A
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, North Grafton, Massachusetts, USA.
Long, Alicia E
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, North Grafton, Massachusetts, USA.
Pacheco, Ana
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, North Grafton, Massachusetts, USA.
Wagner, Bettina
  • Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Ithaca, New York, USA.
Mazan, Melissa R
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, North Grafton, Massachusetts, USA.
Paradis, Mary Rose
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, North Grafton, Massachusetts, USA.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Blood Component Transfusion / veterinary
  • Colitis / mortality
  • Colitis / therapy
  • Colitis / veterinary
  • Horse Diseases / mortality
  • Horse Diseases / therapy
  • Horses
  • Plasma
  • Retrospective Studies

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Citations

This article has been cited 4 times.
  1. Haywood LMB, Sheahan BJ. A Review of Epithelial Ion Transporters and Their Roles in Equine Infectious Colitis. Vet Sci 2024 Oct 7;11(10).
    doi: 10.3390/vetsci11100480pubmed: 39453072google scholar: lookup
  2. DeNotta S, McFarlane D. Immunosenescence and inflammaging in the aged horse. Immun Ageing 2023 Jan 6;20(1):2.
    doi: 10.1186/s12979-022-00325-5pubmed: 36609345google scholar: lookup
  3. Gomez DE, Leclere M, Arroyo LG, Li L, John E, Afonso T, Payette F, Darby S. Acute diarrhea in horses: A multicenter Canadian retrospective study (2015 to 2019). Can Vet J 2022 Oct;63(10):1033-1042.
    pubmed: 36185796
  4. Simões J, Batista M, Tilley P. The Immune Mechanisms of Severe Equine Asthma-Current Understanding and What Is Missing. Animals (Basel) 2022 Mar 16;12(6).
    doi: 10.3390/ani12060744pubmed: 35327141google scholar: lookup
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