Calcium regulating hormones and serum calcium and magnesium concentrations in septic and critically ill foals and their association with survival.
BACKGROUND
Disorders of calcium regulation are frequently found in humans with critical illness, yet limited information exists in foals with similar conditions including septicemia. The purpose of this study was to determine whether disorders of calcium exist in septic foals, and to determine any association with survival.


OBJECTIVE
Blood concentrations of ionized calcium (Ca(2+)) and magnesium (Mg(2+)) will be lower in septic foals with concomitant increases in parathyroid hormone (PTH), calcitonin (CT), and parathyroid-related peptide (PTHrP) compared with healthy foals. The magnitude of these differences will be negatively associated with survival.


METHODS
Eighty-two septic, 40 sick nonseptic, and 24 healthy foals of <or=7 days were included.


METHODS
Prospective, observational study. Blood was collected at initial examination for analysis. Foals with positive blood culture or sepsis score >or=14 were considered septic. Foals with disease other than sepsis and healthy foals were used as controls. Hormone concentrations were measured with validated immunoassays.


RESULTS
Septic foals had decreased Ca(2+) (5.6 versus 6.1 mg/dL, P < .01) and increased serum PTH (16.2 versus 3.2 pmol/L, P < .05), and phosphorus concentrations (7.1 versus 6.3 mg/dL, P < .01). No differences in serum Mg(2+), PTHrP, and CT concentrations were found. Nonsurviving septic foals (n = 42/82) had higher PTH concentrations (41.1 versus 10.7 pmol/L, P < .01) than survivors (n = 40/82).


CONCLUSIONS
Septic foals were more likely to have disorders of calcium regulation compared with healthy foals, where hyperparathyroidemia was associated with nonsurvival.
Hurcombe
S D A
SD
Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
Toribio
R E
RE
Slovis
N M
NM
Saville
W J
WJ
Mudge
M C
MC
Macgillivray
K
K
Frazer
M L
ML
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000097:blood; D002118:Calcium / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000097:blood*; D006736:Horses; D008274:Magnesium / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D010281:Parathyroid Hormone / Q000097:blood; D044162:Parathyroid Hormone-Related Protein / Q000097:blood; D036361:Peptide Hormones / Q000097:blood*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018805:Sepsis / Q000097:blood* / Q000662:veterinary*; D016019:Survival Analysis
D010281:Parathyroid Hormone; D044162:Parathyroid Hormone-Related Protein; D036361:Peptide Hormones; D002116:Calcitonin; D008274:Magnesium; D002118:Calcium