title: Clinical implications of high liver enzyme activities in hospitalized neonatal foals.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether high liver enzyme activities were negatively associated with outcome in sick neonatal foals as compared with foals that did not have high liver enzyme activities.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective case-control study.
  
  
  METHODS
  147 foals < 30 days old with high γ-glutamyltransferase activity, high sorbitol dehydrogenase activity, or both (case foals) and 263 foals < 30 days old with γ-glutamyltransferase and sorbitol dehydrogenase activities within reference limits (control foals).
  
  
  METHODS
  Medical records were reviewed for information on signalment, physical examination findings, and results of hematologic and serum biochemical analyses performed at the time of admission to a veterinary medical teaching hospital.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Case foals were significantly more likely to die or be euthanized, compared with control foals (odds ratio, 2.22; 95% confidence interval, 1.28 to 3.85). Case foals were significantly more likely than control foals to have sepsis, and septic foals were significantly less likely to survive than were nonseptic foals. For case foals, other factors associated with a greater likelihood of nonsurvival were higher anion gap and higher logarithm of aspartate aminotransferase activity. When sepsis status was controlled for, the presence of high liver enzyme activities was not significantly associated with outcome.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results suggested that high liver enzyme activities were common in sick neonatal foals, especially foals with sepsis. Foals with high liver enzyme activities were more likely to be septic, and septic foals were less likely to survive than were foals without sepsis. However, high liver enzyme activities alone were not a useful negative prognostic indicator.
authors: Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
authors: Emily F
authors: EF
authors: Haggett
authors: K Gary
authors: KG
authors: Magdesian
authors: Philip H
authors: PH
authors: Kass
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D006736:Horses; D008099:Liver / Q000201:enzymology*; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D018805:Sepsis / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality / Q000662:veterinary*