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Journal of veterinary internal medicine2016; 31(1); 164-169; doi: 10.1111/jvim.14630

Effect of Dexamethasone on Resting Blood Lactate Concentrations in Horses.

Abstract: Blood lactate concentration is a marker of tissue perfusion and helps guide therapeutic interventions in critically ill horses. In both humans and dogs, administration of corticosteroids can increase blood lactate concentration, leading to type B hyperlactatemia. This effect could be a consequence of the impact of corticosteroids on glucose metabolism. Objective: To investigate the effects of daily IM dexamethasone administration on blood lactate and glucose concentrations in horses. Methods: Nine healthy adult horses. Methods: A randomized, blinded, controlled, cross-over study design was used. Horses were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups, either receiving 0.05 mg/kg of dexamethasone IM or an equivalent volume of saline, daily for 7 days. Blood was collected to determine lactate and glucose concentrations at baseline, 2 hours after the daily injections and 24 hours after the last injection. Results: Dexamethasone treatment had a statistically significant effect on lactate (P = .006) and glucose (P = .033) concentrations. The least squares mean lactate concentration was 0.93 mmol/L (95% CI: 0.87-0.99) in the dexamethasone group compared to 0.71 mmol/L (95% CI: 0.70-0.73) for the saline group. A positive relationship between blood lactate and glucose concentrations was identified, with a 0.07 mmol/L (95% CI: 0.05-0.09) increase in lactate concentration per unit increase in glucose (P < .0001) concentration. Conclusions: Dexamethasone induces statistically significant increases in blood lactate and glucose concentrations in healthy horses. Awareness of the potential for corticosteroids to induce type B hyperlactatemia might be important in the management of critically ill horses receiving dexamethasone.
Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.
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Publication Date: 2016-12-25 PubMed ID: 28019037PubMed Central: PMC5259638DOI: 10.1111/jvim.14630Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article
  • Randomized Controlled Trial

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.

This research article investigates how daily dexamethasone injections affect lactate and glucose levels in the blood of healthy horses.

Objective and Methodology

The objective of this research was to study the effects of daily intramuscular dexamethasone injections on blood lactate and glucose concentrations in horses. This study was carried out with the help of nine healthy adult horses. The study was executed using a randomized, blinded, controlled, cross-over design where the horses were randomly divided into two groups.

  • The first group received 0.05 mg/kg of dexamethasone intramuscularly
  • The second group was given an equivalent volume of saline, administered daily for a seven-day period

Blood samples were then taken at three different times: at the baseline, two hours after the daily injections, and 24 hours after the final injection. The intention was to determine lactate and glucose concentrations in the blood at these particular times.

Findings

The results of the study revealed that dexamethasone treatment had a statistically significant effect on lactate and glucose concentrations in horses.

  • The lactate concentration in the dexamethasone group averaged 0.93 mmol/L, while this figure was 0.71 mmol/L in the saline group. This signifies that the horses who were given dexamethasone had higher lactate levels in their blood
  • Conversely, for glucose concentrations, it was also seen that these increased after dexamethasone administration

The data also found a positive relationship between blood lactate and glucose concentrations, showing a 0.07 mmol/L increase in lactate concentration for each unit increase in glucose concentration.

Conclusion

Therefore, the study concludes that the administration of dexamethasone leads to significant increases in blood lactate and glucose concentrations in healthy horses. This could be a concern in managing critically ill horses receiving dexamethasone, as corticosteroids might trigger type B hyperlactatemia. This is a medical condition where lactate production exceeds the rate of elimination, leading to an unexpected increase in blood lactate levels even absent tissue hypoxia.

The study implies that monitoring these levels is crucial when using dexamethasone treatment in the management of critically ill horses.

Cite This Article

APA
Mizen K, Woodman J, Boysen SR, Wagg C, Greco-Otto P, Léguillette R, Roy MF. (2016). Effect of Dexamethasone on Resting Blood Lactate Concentrations in Horses. J Vet Intern Med, 31(1), 164-169. https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.14630

Publication

Journal of veterinary internal medicine
ISSN: 1939-1676
NlmUniqueID: 8708660
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 31
Issue: 1
Pages: 164-169

Researcher Affiliations

Mizen, K
  • Northside Veterinary Clinic, Lethbridge, AB, Canada.
Woodman, J
  • Alpine Pet Hospital, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Boysen, S R
  • Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Veterinary Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Wagg, C
  • Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Veterinary Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Greco-Otto, P
  • Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Veterinary Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Léguillette, R
  • Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Veterinary Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Roy, M-F
  • Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Veterinary Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents / administration & dosage
  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents / blood
  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents / pharmacokinetics
  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents / pharmacology
  • Cross-Over Studies
  • Dexamethasone / administration & dosage
  • Dexamethasone / blood
  • Dexamethasone / pharmacokinetics
  • Dexamethasone / pharmacology
  • Female
  • Horses / blood
  • Injections, Intramuscular / veterinary
  • Lactic Acid / blood
  • Male
  • Single-Blind Method
  • Treatment Outcome

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Citations

This article has been cited 7 times.
  1. Park YJ, Lee MJ, Bae J, Lee JH, Lee HAR, Mun S, Kim YS, Yune CJ, Chung TN, Kim K. Effects of Glucocorticoid Therapy on Sepsis Depend Both on the Dose of Steroids and on the Severity and Phase of the Animal Sepsis Model. Life (Basel) 2022 Mar 14;12(3).
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  3. Dunkel B, Knowles EJ, Chang YM, Menzies-Gow NJ. Influence of endocrine disease on l-lactate concentrations in blood of ponies. J Vet Intern Med 2021 May;35(3):1582-1588.
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  4. Dunkel B, Knowles EJ, Chang YM, Menzies-Gow NJ. Correlation between l-lactate and glucose concentrations and body condition score in healthy horses and ponies. J Vet Intern Med 2019 Sep;33(5):2267-2271.
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