Clinical implications of high liver enzyme activities in hospitalized neonatal foals.
Abstract: To determine whether high liver enzyme activities were negatively associated with outcome in sick neonatal foals as compared with foals that did not have high liver enzyme activities. Methods: Retrospective case-control study. Methods: 147 foals < 30 days old with high γ-glutamyltransferase activity, high sorbitol dehydrogenase activity, or both (case foals) and 263 foals < 30 days old with γ-glutamyltransferase and sorbitol dehydrogenase activities within reference limits (control foals). Methods: Medical records were reviewed for information on signalment, physical examination findings, and results of hematologic and serum biochemical analyses performed at the time of admission to a veterinary medical teaching hospital. Results: Case foals were significantly more likely to die or be euthanized, compared with control foals (odds ratio, 2.22; 95% confidence interval, 1.28 to 3.85). Case foals were significantly more likely than control foals to have sepsis, and septic foals were significantly less likely to survive than were nonseptic foals. For case foals, other factors associated with a greater likelihood of nonsurvival were higher anion gap and higher logarithm of aspartate aminotransferase activity. When sepsis status was controlled for, the presence of high liver enzyme activities was not significantly associated with outcome. Conclusions: Results suggested that high liver enzyme activities were common in sick neonatal foals, especially foals with sepsis. Foals with high liver enzyme activities were more likely to be septic, and septic foals were less likely to survive than were foals without sepsis. However, high liver enzyme activities alone were not a useful negative prognostic indicator.
Publication Date: 2011-09-02 PubMed ID: 21879968DOI: 10.2460/javma.239.5.661Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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This research aimed to examine if high levels of certain liver enzyme activities (γ-glutamyltransferase and sorbitol dehydrogenase) were negatively impacting the outcome for sick neonatal foals, compared to those with normal enzyme activities. Results showed that foals with high liver enzyme activities were more likely to be septic and less likely to survive, but high liver enzyme activities alone were not predictors of non-survival.
Study Objective and Methods
- The study’s main objective was to determine if high liver enzyme activities were negatively associated with survival outcomes in sick neonatal foals.
- A retrospective case-control study was performed involving 410 foals under 30 days old. Among these, 147 had high γ-glutamyltransferase and sorbitol dehydrogenase activities (case foals), while 263 had enzyme activities within standard ranges (control foals).
- Information from the foals’ medical records of their physical examination findings, as well as hematologic and serum biochemical analyses data collected at the time of admission to a veterinary teaching hospital, was reviewed.
Study Findings
- Case foals (those with high enzyme activities) had a significantly higher likelihood of either dying or being euthanized compared to control foals. The odds ratio was 2.22, indicating over twice the risk.
- Case foals were more likely to be septic, and foals with sepsis were significantly less likely to survive than non-septic foals.
Factors Impacting Survival
- Other than having high liver enzyme activities, additional factors increasing the likelihood of non-survival in case foals were a higher anion gap and a higher logarithm of aspartate aminotransferase activity.
- Interestingly, when sepsis status was accounted for, having high liver enzyme activities ceased being a significant risk factor influencing negative outcomes.
Conclusions
- The study results suggested that high liver enzyme activities were common in sick neonatal foals, especially those with sepsis.
- These foals were more likely to be septic, and septic foals had lower chances of survival than those without sepsis. However, high liver enzyme activities by themselves did not act as a reliable negative prognostic indicator.
Cite This Article
APA
Haggett EF, Magdesian KG, Kass PH.
(2011).
Clinical implications of high liver enzyme activities in hospitalized neonatal foals.
J Am Vet Med Assoc, 239(5), 661-667.
https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.239.5.661 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Case-Control Studies
- Female
- Horse Diseases / blood
- Horse Diseases / etiology
- Horse Diseases / mortality
- Horses
- Liver / enzymology
- Male
- Retrospective Studies
- Risk Factors
- Sepsis / blood
- Sepsis / complications
- Sepsis / mortality
- Sepsis / veterinary
Citations
This article has been cited 5 times.- Satué K, Miguel-Pastor L, Chicharro D, Gardón JC. Hepatic Enzyme Profile in Horses. Animals (Basel) 2022 Mar 29;12(7).
- Jaramillo C, Renaud DL, Arroyo LG, Kenney DG, Gamsjaeger L, Gomez DE. Serum haptoglobin concentration and liver enzyme activity as indicators of systemic inflammatory response syndrome and survival of sick calves. J Vet Intern Med 2022 Mar;36(2):812-819.
- Swink JM, Rings LM, Snyder HA, McAuley RC, Burns TA, Dembek KA, Gilsenan WF, Browne N, Toribio RE. Dynamics of androgens in healthy and hospitalized newborn foals. J Vet Intern Med 2021 Jan;35(1):538-549.
- Yang J, Liu X, Sun S, Liu X, Yang L. Screening Platform Based on Robolid Microplate for Immobilized Enzyme-Based Assays. ACS Omega 2017 Aug 31;2(8):5079-5086.
- 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.
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