Calcium regulating hormones and serum calcium and magnesium concentrations in septic and critically ill foals and their association with survival.
Abstract: Disorders of calcium regulation are frequently found in humans with critical illness, yet limited information exists in foals with similar conditions including septicemia. The purpose of this study was to determine whether disorders of calcium exist in septic foals, and to determine any association with survival. Objective: Blood concentrations of ionized calcium (Ca(2+)) and magnesium (Mg(2+)) will be lower in septic foals with concomitant increases in parathyroid hormone (PTH), calcitonin (CT), and parathyroid-related peptide (PTHrP) compared with healthy foals. The magnitude of these differences will be negatively associated with survival. Methods: Eighty-two septic, 40 sick nonseptic, and 24 healthy foals of or=14 were considered septic. Foals with disease other than sepsis and healthy foals were used as controls. Hormone concentrations were measured with validated immunoassays. Results: Septic foals had decreased Ca(2+) (5.6 versus 6.1 mg/dL, P < .01) and increased serum PTH (16.2 versus 3.2 pmol/L, P < .05), and phosphorus concentrations (7.1 versus 6.3 mg/dL, P < .01). No differences in serum Mg(2+), PTHrP, and CT concentrations were found. Nonsurviving septic foals (n = 42/82) had higher PTH concentrations (41.1 versus 10.7 pmol/L, P < .01) than survivors (n = 40/82). Conclusions: Septic foals were more likely to have disorders of calcium regulation compared with healthy foals, where hyperparathyroidemia was associated with nonsurvival.
Publication Date: 2009-02-04 PubMed ID: 19210311DOI: 10.1111/j.1939-1676.2009.0275.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The research article is about understanding the impact of calcium regulating hormones on the survival rates among septic and critically ill foals. The review also includes studying the correlation between serum calcium and magnesium concentrations and survival.
Research Objective
- The primary goal of this study was to ascertain if disorders related to calcium regulation exist with septic foals, as septicemia-inflicted humans often experience such conditions.
- The researchers sought to determine blood concentrations of ionized calcium (Ca(2+)) and magnesium (Mg(2+)) in septic foals and compare them with healthy foals. They predicted that septic foals would exhibit lower Ca(2+) and Mg(2+) levels while exhibiting higher levels of parathyroid hormone (PTH), calcitonin (CT), and parathyroid-related peptide (PTHrP).
- They also set out to discover if the extent of these differences was negatively correlated with the foals’ chances of survival.
Research Methodology
- The study was a prospective, observational one. The subjects were 82 septic foals, 40 sick but non-septic foals, and 24 healthy foals, all seven days old or younger.
- The researcher collected blood samples for initial examination, using positive blood culture or a sepsis score equal to or greater than 14 as criteria to classify a foal as septic.
- Foals with diseases other than sepsis and healthy foals made up the control groups. The hormone concentrations were gauged using validated immunoassays.
Research Findings
- The investigation revealed that septic foals had lower Ca(2+) and higher serum PTH and phosphorus concentrations compared with healthy foals. However, there were no observable differences in serum Mg(2+), PTHrP, and CT concentrations.
- Further, among the septic foals, those that did not survive had higher PTH concentrations compared to the survivors.
Conclusions
- The study concluded that septic foals were likelier to have disorders of calcium regulation in comparison to healthy foals. In particular, hyperparathyroidemia was associated with lower survival rates.
Cite This Article
APA
Hurcombe SD, Toribio RE, Slovis NM, Saville WJ, Mudge MC, Macgillivray K, Frazer ML.
(2009).
Calcium regulating hormones and serum calcium and magnesium concentrations in septic and critically ill foals and their association with survival.
J Vet Intern Med, 23(2), 335-343.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1939-1676.2009.0275.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Animals, Newborn
- Calcitonin / blood
- Calcium / blood
- Female
- Horse Diseases / blood
- Horses
- Magnesium / blood
- Male
- Parathyroid Hormone / blood
- Parathyroid Hormone-Related Protein / blood
- Peptide Hormones / blood
- Prospective Studies
- Sepsis / blood
- Sepsis / veterinary
- Survival Analysis
Citations
This article has been cited 9 times.- Sanmartí J, Armengou L, Troya-Portillo L, Robles-Guirado JÁ, Bassols A, Ríos J, Jose-Cunilleras E. Plasma-Ionized Magnesium in Hospitalized Horses with Gastrointestinal Disorders and Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome. Animals (Basel) 2022 Jun 7;12(12).
- Colmer SF, Luethy D, Abraham M, Stefanovski D, Hurcombe SD. Utility of cell-free DNA concentrations and illness severity scores to predict survival in critically ill neonatal foals. PLoS One 2021;16(4):e0242635.
- Corley KTT. Metabolic disorders in foals. Equine Vet Educ 2012 Aug;24(8):392-395.
- Hendy GN, Canaff L. Calcium-Sensing Receptor Gene: Regulation of Expression. Front Physiol 2016;7:394.
- Kamr AM, Dembek KA, Reed SM, Slovis NM, Zaghawa AA, Rosol TJ, Toribio RE. Vitamin D Metabolites and Their Association with Calcium, Phosphorus, and PTH Concentrations, Severity of Illness, and Mortality in Hospitalized Equine Neonates. PLoS One 2015;10(6):e0127684.
- Lewis DH, Chan DL, Pinheiro D, Armitage-Chan E, Garden OA. The immunopathology of sepsis: pathogen recognition, systemic inflammation, the compensatory anti-inflammatory response, and regulatory T cells. J Vet Intern Med 2012 May-Jun;26(3):457-82.
- Wilkins PA, Wong D, Slovis NM, Collins N, Barr BS, MacKenzie C, De Solis CN, Castagnetti C, Mariella J, Burns T, Perkins G, Delvescovo B, Sanchez LC, Kemper AM, Magdesian KG, Bedenice D, Taylor SD, Gold J, Dunkel B, Pranzo G, Constable PD. The Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome and Predictors of Infection and Mortality in 1068 Critically Ill Newborn Foals. J Vet Intern Med 2025 Mar-Apr;39(2):e70004.
- Kamr AM, Bartish C, Summers J, Horton J, Hostnik LD, Orr K, Browne N, Dembek KA, Saliba C, Gomez DE, Toribio RE. Longitudinal Evaluation of Vitamin D, Parathyroid Hormone, Antimicrobial Peptides, and Immunomodulatory Genes in Hospitalized Foals. J Vet Intern Med 2025 Mar-Apr;39(2):e70012.
- Urgibl-Bauer A, Lorch A, Badura D, Zablotski Y, Constable PD, Trefz FM. Retrospective evaluation of acid-base imbalances, clinicopathologic alterations, and prognostic factors in hospitalized calves with Eimeria-associated diarrhea. Front Vet Sci 2024;11:1467583.
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