Occurrence of elevated amylase and lipase enzymes in horses with gastrointestinal disease

Abstract

Pancreatic disease in horses is rare and diagnosis is difficult due to lack of available diagnostic tests. Acute pancreatitis is associated with acute colic signs and gastrointestinal reflux; chronic pancreatitis with weight loss, anorexia, lethargy, and mild recurrent colic symptoms. Therefore, horses presented with such unspecific symptoms are often treated routinely and a concurrent pancreatic disorder may be missed. A prospective study was initiated to investigate the occurrence of pancreatic disease in horses with corresponding clinical signs. During the study period from 2018-2019, sixty-seven horses (39 geldings, 26 mares, 2 stallions) aged 1-26 years with Warmbloods being the predominant breed were included. In 48 horses, the pancreatic enzymes α-amylase (AMY) and DGGR-lipase (LIP) were measured in serum (S) and peritoneal fluid (PF). In addition, cytologic examination from PF, complete blood count (CBC) and serum biochemistry (SBC) were performed. In 19 horses, including 14 control horses without clinical signs, pancreatic enzymes were measured from serum samples only. In one horse with colic symptoms, LIP was elevated in S; in another horse with duodenitis-proximal jejunitis and septic peritonitis, LIP was elevated in PF. In both horses, a pancreatic component was considered to play a role. A third horse had measured enzymes within normal ranges, but postmortem examination revealed chronic pancreatitis. These results suggest that pancreatic disease has a low prevalence in horses, but should be considered as an additional differential diagnosis in patients with indistinct abdominal symptoms.