title: Plasma fructosamine concentrations in horses with pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction with and without laminitis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Plasma fructosamine concentration ([fructosamine]) is believed to reflect medium term, average blood glucose concentration and in a previous study was higher in horses with active laminitis than in normal horses. Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) is associated with hyperglycaemia and laminitis.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To test the hypotheses that: [fructosamine] is higher in PPID cases than normal animals; furthermore, that within cases of PPID [fructosamine] is higher in those with active laminitis than nonlaminitic cases and in cases that have been affected by active laminitis in the preceding year than those that have not.
  
  
  METHODS
  Observational, case-control/cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  [Fructosamine] was measured in cases of PPID (n = 46) and normal animals (n = 139). A normal range was calculated; values were compared between the 2 groups and within the PPID group, between cases with and without active laminitis and between cases that had and had not been affected by active laminitis in the preceding year.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In normal animals mean [fructosamine] was 248.7 μmol/l; the normal range (mean ± 2 s.d.) was 195.5-301.9 μmol/l. Plasma [fructosamine] was not higher in PPID cases than in normal animals. In PPID cases, [fructosamine] was significantly (P = 0.006) higher in cases with active laminitis (mean ± s.d. 261.2 ± 39.2 μmol/l) compared with those without active laminitis (234.5 ± 32.9 μmol/), but [fructosamine] was not higher in cases that had been affected by active laminitis in the preceding year than those that had not.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In horses affected by PPID, [fructosamine] is higher in cases with active laminitis than in cases without active laminitis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Clinical use of [fructosamine] is limited due to overlap with the normal range. Further studies into glucose and protein metabolism in cases of PPID are warranted.
authors.affiliation: Bell Equine Veterinary Clinic, Maidstone, UK.
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Knowles
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Menzies-Gow
authors.forename: T S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Mair
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005534:Foot Diseases / Q000662:veterinary*; D019270:Fructosamine / Q000097:blood*; D006724:Hoof and Claw; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000097:blood*; D006736:Horses; D007249:Inflammation / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D010900:Pituitary Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000662:veterinary*; D052716:Pituitary Gland, Intermediate; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
chemical_list: D019270:Fructosamine
keywords: Cushings; PPID; fructosamine; horse; laminitis