title: Hypomagnesemia in hospitalized horses.
abstract: This study was initiated to identify the signalment and clinical variables potentially associated with hypomagnesemia in horses evaluated at the North Carolina State University, College of Veterinary Medicine (NCSU-CVM) veterinary teaching hospital between January 1999 and May 2001. A nested case reference study (nested case-control study) was conducted to examine the potential relationship between hypomagnesemia and signalment, serum chemistry panel analyses, number of hospitalization days, discharge status, and diagnosis. A series of independent and multivariable logistic regression models were used to assess the potential association of each variable with low total serum magnesium concentrations. Four hundred one of 823 (48.7%) horses had serum total magnesium concentrations below the normal reference range. Hypomagnesemia was more likely to occur in horses older than I month of age. Colic (odds ratio [OR]: 2.96, 95% confidence intervals [CI]: 2.14-4.08), acute diarrhea (OR: 5.91, 95% CI: 2.32-15.06), other gastrointestinal disease (OR: 2.07, 95% CI: 1.15-3.71), infectious respiratory disease (OR: 5.07, 95% CI: 2.09-12.28), and multiorgan system disease (OR: 2.31, 95% CI: 1.24-4.28) were associated with hypomagnesemia in adult horses, whereas foals with diarrhea (excluding septic foals) (OR: 0.11, 95% CI: 0.01-0.84) were less likely to have hypomagnesemia. Overall, there was no relationship between hypomagnesemia and mortality (OR: 1.00, 95% CI: 0.72-1.41), but horses with colic and hypomagnesemia were less likely to die than horses with colic and normal or high total magnesium (OR: 0.53, 95% CI: 0.30-0.95). Among horses that survived, hypomagnesemia at admission was associated with a longer hospitalization period (OR: 1.45, 95% CI: 1.00-2.11).
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Science, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Anna M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Johansson
authors.forename: Sarah Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Gardner
authors.forename: Samuel L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Laura R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Fuquay
authors.forename: Virginia H
authors.initials: VH
authors.lastname: Reagan
authors.forename: Jay F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Levine
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001774:Blood Chemical Analysis / Q000662:veterinary; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000097:blood*; D006736:Horses; D006760:Hospitalization; D008274:Magnesium / Q000097:blood; D008275:Magnesium Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D012044:Regression Analysis
chemical_list: D008274:Magnesium