Putative intestinal hyperammonaemia in horses: 36 cases.
Abstract: Intestinal hyperammonaemia (HA) has been infrequently reported in individual horses; however, there have been no studies describing clinical and laboratory data as well as short- and long-term outcome in a larger number of cases. Objective: To describe clinical and laboratory data and short- and long-term outcome in a large group of horses with intestinal HA. Methods: Multi-centred, retrospective study; case records of horses with HA were reviewed and any horse with a clinical or post mortem diagnosis of intestinal HA was included. Hyperammonaemia was defined as a blood ammonium (NH(4) (+)) concentration ≥60 µmol/l and horses with a diagnosis of primary hepatic disease were excluded. Relevant data were recorded and, if appropriate, data from survivors were compared to nonsurvivors to identify potential prognostic indicators. Results: Thirty-six cases, 26 mature horses and 10 foals with intestinal HA were identified. Case histories included diarrhoea, colic and neurological signs and the most common clinical diagnosis was colitis and/or enteritis. The most common clinical and laboratory abnormalities included tachycardia, increased packed cell volume, hyperlactataemia and hyperglycaemia. Fourteen horses (39%) survived to discharge; NH(4) (+) concentration on admission was the only parameter significantly associated with survival. All surviving horses and foals for which follow-up information was available recovered completely and returned to their intended use without further complications. Conclusions: Intestinal HA occurs in mature horses and foals and can be associated with severe clinical and laboratory abnormalities; further studies are required to investigate predisposing factors and delineate possible differences in aetiologies.
© 2010 EVJ Ltd.
Publication Date: 2011-05-20 PubMed ID: 21592205DOI: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.2010.00128.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Multicenter Study
Summary
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This research paper is about a retrospective study on intestinal hyperammonaemia in horses, which involves an abnormally high amount of ammonia in the blood. The paper describes the clinical and laboratory data, as well as the short- and long-term outcomes for these horses.
Study Methodology
- The study is multicentered and retrospective, examining case records of horses that had been diagnosed with Intestinal Hyperammonaemia (HA).
- Any horse with a clinical or post-mortem diagnosis of Intestinal HA was included.
- The existence of HA was specified as a blood ammonium (NH4+) concentration ≥60 µmol/l.
- Horses diagnosed with primary hepatic disease were excluded from the study.
- Data from the surviving horses were compared to non-survivors in order to identify potential prognostic indicators.
Study Findings
- There were a total of 36 cases – 26 mature horses and 10 foals – identified to have Intestinal HA.
- Case histories frequently cited diarrhoea, colic, and neurological signs, with the most common clinical diagnosis being colitis and/or enteritis.
- Common clinical and laboratory abnormalities included tachycardia, increased packed cell volume, hyperlactataemia, and hyperglycaemia.
- Only 14 horses (39%) survived the condition and were discharged. The NH4+ concentration on admission was the only parameter significantly associated with survival.
- All surviving horses and foals, for which follow-up data were available, had completely recovered and were able to return to their intended use without any further complications.
Study Conclusions
- Intestinal HA is confirmed to occur in both mature horses and foals and is associated with severe clinical and laboratory abnormalities.
- Further research is required to investigate any predisposing factors and distinguish potential differences in etiologies.
Cite This Article
APA
Dunkel B, Chaney KP, Dallap-Schaer BL, Pellegrini-Masini A, Mair TS, Boston R.
(2011).
Putative intestinal hyperammonaemia in horses: 36 cases.
Equine Vet J, 43(2), 133-140.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2042-3306.2010.00128.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hertfordshire, UK. bdunkel@rvc.ac.uk
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Female
- Horse Diseases / pathology
- Horses
- Hyperammonemia / pathology
- Hyperammonemia / veterinary
- Intestinal Diseases / pathology
- Intestinal Diseases / veterinary
- Male
- Retrospective Studies
Citations
This article has been cited 4 times.- Fielding CL, Magdesian KG, Mayer JR. Resolution of neurologic signs presumed to be associated with hyperammonemia in 2 endurance horses. Can Vet J 2020 Aug;61(8):860-864.
- Corley KTT. Metabolic disorders in foals. Equine Vet Educ 2012 Aug;24(8):392-395.
- DeNotta SL, Divers TJ. Clinical Pathology in the Adult Sick Horse: The Gastrointestinal System and Liver. Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract 2020 Apr;36(1):105-120.
- Fielding CL, Higgins JK, Higgins JC, McIntosh S, Scott E, Giannitti F, Mete A, Pusterla N. Disease associated with equine coronavirus infection and high case fatality rate. J Vet Intern Med 2015 Jan;29(1):307-10.
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