Comparison of a 2-step insulin-response test to conventional insulin-sensitivity testing in horses.
Abstract: Equine insulin resistance is important because of its association with laminitis. The insulin-response test is described to diagnose insulin resistance in clinical settings. Practitioners may be reluctant to perform this test because of the time needed for the test and the fear of inducing hypoglycemia. The objective of the study was to compare a 2-step insulin-response test with a complete insulin-response test. A complete insulin-response test was performed on 6 insulin-resistant horses and 6 controls. A 2-step insulin-response test consisting of an intravenous injection of 0.1 IU/kg human insulin and blood glucose determination at 0 and 30 min after injection was performed on the same horses. Times to reach a 50% reduction of glucose baseline were compared between tests and horses. All the horses tolerated both tests well. No significant difference was observed between baseline glucose concentrations of insulin-resistant horses and controls (P = 0.09). Time to reach 50% reduction of glucose baseline for controls was not significantly different with the use of the complete insulin-response test or the 2-step test (P = 0.98). For insulin-resistant horses, the time to reach 50% reduction of glucose baseline with the use of the 2-step test was significantly longer than for controls (P = 0.004). With a cut-off time of 30 min, the 2-step test had the same characteristics as the complete test. The 2-step test provided a safe, rapid, and low-cost method to diagnose insulin resistance in horses in a clinical setting.
Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2012-08-10 PubMed ID: 22920264DOI: 10.1016/j.domaniend.2012.07.003Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Comparative Study
- Journal Article
Summary
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The researchers compared a simplified 2-step insulin-response test with the conventional complete insulin-response test for diagnosing insulin resistance in horses. They found the 2-step test to be a quick, low-cost and safe method that produced similar results to the conventional test.
Research Methodology
- The study involved six horses that were known to be insulin-resistant and another six horses as healthy controls.
- A complete insulin-response test, which requires more time and has a risk of inducing hypoglycemia, was initially performed on all horses.
- The researchers then implemented a 2-step insulin-response test on the same horses. This involved intravenously injecting 0.1 IU/kg of human insulin and subsequently measuring blood glucose levels at the start (0 minutes) and 30 minutes after injection.
- The researchers compared the time it took for each horse to achieve a 50% reduction in baseline glucose levels across both the complete and the 2-step tests.
Results
- All horses tolerated both the complete and 2-step tests well, with no adverse events reported
- There were no significant differences found in the baseline glucose levels between the insulin-resistant horses and the control group (P = 0.09).
- For the control horses, the time to achieve a 50% reduction of glucose baseline was just about the same whether using the complete test or the 2-step test (P = 0.98).
- However, for the insulin-resistant horses, there was a significantly longer time to reach the 50% glucose reduction when using the 2-step test compared to the control group (P = 0.004).
- The researchers considered 30 minutes as the cut-off time for the 2-step test, and in doing so, observed that it had nearly the same characteristics as the complete test.
Conclusion
- The 2-step insulin-response test could be considered an effective, quick, low-cost and safer alternative to the conventional complete insulin-response test for diagnosing insulin resistance in horses in a clinical setting.
- This is particularly beneficial to veterinarians who might be reluctant to perform the complete test due to the time required and the possibility of inducing hypoglycemia in the horses.
Cite This Article
APA
Bertin FR, Sojka-Kritchevsky JE.
(2012).
Comparison of a 2-step insulin-response test to conventional insulin-sensitivity testing in horses.
Domest Anim Endocrinol, 44(1), 19-25.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.domaniend.2012.07.003 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA. fbertin@purdue.edu
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Blood Glucose / analysis
- Female
- Glucose Tolerance Test / methods
- Glucose Tolerance Test / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / metabolism
- Horses
- Insulin Resistance / physiology
- Male
- Reproducibility of Results
- Statistics, Nonparametric
Citations
This article has been cited 11 times.- Akinniyi OO, Sackey AKB, Ochube GE, Mshelia PW, Musa FA, Elijah MO, Jolayemi KO. Occurrence of equine metabolic syndrome, clinical manifestations, and associated risk factors in Nigeria. J Equine Sci 2023 Jun;34(2):29-35.
- Hicks GR, Fraser NS, Bertin FR. Changes Associated with the Peri-Ovulatory Period, Age and Pregnancy in ACTH, Cortisol, Glucose and Insulin Concentrations in Mares. Animals (Basel) 2021 Mar 20;11(3).
- Kritchevsky JE, Muir GS, Leschke DHZ, Hodgson JK, Hess EK, Bertin FR. Blood glucose and insulin concentrations after alpha-2-agonists administration in horses with and without insulin dysregulation. J Vet Intern Med 2020 Mar;34(2):902-908.
- Leschke DH, Muir GS, Hodgson JK, Coyle M, Horn R, Bertin FR. Immunoreactive insulin stability in horses at risk of insulin dysregulation. J Vet Intern Med 2019 Nov;33(6):2746-2751.
- Horn R, Bertin FR. Evaluation of combined testing to simultaneously diagnose pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction and insulin dysregulation in horses. J Vet Intern Med 2019 Sep;33(5):2249-2256.
- Moser K, Banse H. Comparison of the glucose and insulin responses of horses to 2 formulations of corn syrup. Can Vet J 2019 Jun;60(6):637-643.
- Durham AE, Frank N, McGowan CM, Menzies-Gow NJ, Roelfsema E, Vervuert I, Feige K, Fey K. ECEIM consensus statement on equine metabolic syndrome. J Vet Intern Med 2019 Mar;33(2):335-349.
- Bertin FR, Ruffin-Taylor D, Stewart AJ. Insulin dysregulation in horses with systemic inflammatory response syndrome. J Vet Intern Med 2018 Jul;32(4):1420-1427.
- Bertin FR, Taylor SD, Bianco AW, Sojka-Kritchevsky JE. The Effect of Fasting Duration on Baseline Blood Glucose Concentration, Blood Insulin Concentration, Glucose/Insulin Ratio, Oral Sugar Test, and Insulin Response Test Results in Horses. J Vet Intern Med 2016 Sep;30(5):1726-1731.
- Morgan R, Keen J, McGowan C. Equine metabolic syndrome. Vet Rec 2015 Aug 15;177(7):173-9.
- Galinelli NC, Bamford NJ, Erdody ML, Mackenzie SA, Warnken T, Harris PA, Sillence MN, Bailey SR. Effect of pergolide treatment on insulin dysregulation in horses and ponies with pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction. Equine Vet J 2025 Nov;57(6):1612-1622.
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