Influence of endocrine disease on l‐lactate concentrations in blood of ponies

Abstract

Background: Blood l-lactate concentrations are higher in people with developing or established diabetes mellitus and insulin resistance. Objectives: To investigate whether blood l-lactate concentrations are positively correlated with measures of insulin dysregulation (ID) or increased autumnal ACTH concentrations in ponies. Animals: Systemically healthy client-owned ponies (n = 101). Methods: Prospective case-control study. Blood samples were obtained from 101 clinically healthy ponies. Breed, weight, height, and subjective and objective measures of body condition were recorded. Blood l-lactate, glucose, triglyceride, total adiponectin, and ACTH concentrations were measured and an oral sugar test (OST) was carried out. Correlations between blood l-lactate and variables of endocrine health were determined.Results: Using a seasonal cutoff point of ACTH concentrations ≥47 pg/mL, 55 ponies had increased autumnal ACTH concentrations and 45 did not. Using a basal insulin concentration of >50 μiU/mL, 42 ponies were diagnosed with ID and 58 were not. Using a 60 minutes after OST cutoff point of >45 μiU/mL, 57 ponies had ID and 37 did not. Blood l-lactate concentrations were significantly lower in obese (average body condition score ≥ 7/9

Serum amyloid A does not predict non‐survival in hospitalised adult horses with acute colitis

“…41 In a pilot study of 90 horses with acute gastrointestinal disease admitted to our hospital, 42 ponies had significantly higher median body condition scores than horses, and obese horses and ponies had higher plasma lactate concentrations at admission than lean horses and ponies. Previous studies in healthy horses have shown that plasma lactate concentrations are lower in obese than non-obese ponies 43 and in ponies than horses, 44 and further research is thus needed to understand the effect of obesity on the lactate response in horses.…”