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Home / Equine Research Bank / J Vet Intern Med / Thyroid function and dysfunction in term and premature equin...
Journal of veterinary internal medicine2014; 28(4); 1301-1309; doi: 10.1111/jvim.12382

Thyroid function and dysfunction in term and premature equine neonates.

Abstract: This study was performed to compare thyroid function of premature foals to term foals. Objective: Premature foals are more markedly hypothyroxinemic than expected for their severity of illness alone. Methods: Twenty clinically normal term foals; 28 sick, hospitalized term foals; 24 sick, hospitalized premature foals. Methods: Thyroid hormones (TH) and thyrotropin (TSH) were measured, both at rest and in response to thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH), in the 3 groups of foals. Clinical and clinicopathologic data were recorded. Results: Normal foals had high TH at birth, which decreased over the first month into the normal reference range for adult horses. TSH was within the normal adult reference range soon after birth, and did not change over time. At 24-36 hours of age, triiodothyronine (T3) was significantly lower in both premature and term hospitalized foals compared to normal foals; premature foals were not different from term hospitalized foals. Thyroxine (T4) was not different between normal and term hospitalized foals, but was significantly lower than in premature foals of both of these groups. TSH was not different among the 3 groups. TRH stimulation tests identified significant differences in T4 among all 3 groups of foals, whereas T3 was similar in premature and term hospitalized foals and different from normal foals. TSH response to TRH was significantly higher in premature foals compared to normal foals. Conclusions: The hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis is different in foals compared to adult horses. Sick foals exhibit nonthyroidal illness syndrome. Premature foals are more markedly hypothyroxinemic than can be accounted for by their severity of illness alone.
Copyright © 2014 by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.
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Publication Date: 2014-06-16 PubMed ID: 24934827PubMed Central: PMC4857961DOI: 10.1111/jvim.12382Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article
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  • Non-U.S. Gov't

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.

The research paper discusses a comparative study on thyroid functions of premature and full-term foals (young horses). The study revealed that premature foals exhibit lower thyroid hormone (TH) levels than can be explained by their degree of illness alone.

Methods Used

  • The researchers studied twenty normal, full-term foals; twenty-eight ill, hospitalized full-term foals; and twenty-four ill, hospitalized premature foals.
  • Thyroid hormones, along with thyrotropin (TSH), were measured at rest and in response to thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) for all three groups of foals.
  • Clinical and clinicopathologic data were also recorded for better analysis and comparison.

Results Found

  • In healthy foals, high thyroid hormone levels were present at birth, which decreased over the first month, aligning with the adult horse’s normal reference range.
  • TSH was within the adult horse’s normal reference range shortly after birth, and it did not indicate drastic changes over time.
  • At 24-36 hours of age, triiodothyronine (T3) was significantlyLower in both premature and sick full-term foals compared to normal foals, but no differences were observed between premature and diseased full-term foals.
  • Thyroxine (T4) was not different between healthy and ill full-term foals, but was significantly lower than in both of these groups’ premature foals.
  • TSH levels didn’t show any differences among the three groups.
  • Stimulation tests with TRH revealed significant differences in T4 among all three groups of foals, whereas T3 was similar for premature and sick full-term foals but different from healthy foals.
  • The TSH response to TRH was significantly higher in premature foals compared to healthy ones.

Conclusions made

  • The researchers concluded that the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis in foals is different from that in adult horses.
  • They also confirmed that sick foals developed a nonthyroidal illness syndrome.
  • Most important was the observation that premature foals are more significantly hypothyroxinemic than can be accounted for by the severity of their illness alone, implying other contributing factors need further investigation in premature foals.

Cite This Article

APA
Breuhaus BA. (2014). Thyroid function and dysfunction in term and premature equine neonates. J Vet Intern Med, 28(4), 1301-1309. https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.12382

Publication

Journal of veterinary internal medicine
ISSN: 1939-1676
NlmUniqueID: 8708660
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 28
Issue: 4
Pages: 1301-1309

Researcher Affiliations

Breuhaus, B A
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Animals, Newborn / blood
  • Animals, Newborn / physiology
  • Horse Diseases / blood
  • Horse Diseases / physiopathology
  • Horses
  • Premature Birth / veterinary
  • Thyroid Diseases / blood
  • Thyroid Diseases / physiopathology
  • Thyroid Diseases / veterinary
  • Thyroid Gland / physiology
  • Thyroid Hormones / blood
  • Thyroid Hormones / physiology
  • Thyrotropin / blood
  • Thyrotropin / physiology
  • Thyroxine / blood
  • Thyroxine / physiology
  • Triiodothyronine / blood
  • Triiodothyronine / physiology

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Citations

This article has been cited 2 times.
  1. Gehlen H, Jaburg N, Merle R, Winter J. Can Endocrine Dysfunction Be Reliably Tested in Aged Horses That Are Experiencing Pain?. Animals (Basel) 2020 Aug 14;10(8).
    doi: 10.3390/ani10081426pubmed: 32824027google scholar: lookup
  2. Müller V, Toribio RE, Dembek K, Moraes BSS, Mousquer MA, Curcio BR, Nogueira CEW. Serum cortisol and thyroid hormone concentrations and survival in foals born from mares with experimentally induced ascending placentitis.. J Vet Intern Med 2020 May;34(3):1332-1338.
    doi: 10.1111/jvim.15758pubmed: 32339347google scholar: lookup
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