Serum iron and plasma fibrinogen concentrations as indicators of systemic inflammatory diseases in horses

Abstract

Background: Detection of systemic inflammation, which is important for proper diagnosis and prompt treatment, can be challenging.

Hypothesis: Measurement of plasma iron concentration is a sensitive method for detecting systemic inflammation in horses compared with measurements of plasma fibrinogen concentration, a traditional marker for inflammation in the horse.

Animals: Ninety-seven horses hospitalized with diseases causing systemic inflammation, 22 horses with localized inflammation, and 12 clinically normal horses were included in this study.

Methods: A retrospective study was made on hospitalized horses that had both plasma iron and fibrinogen concentrations measured on hospital admission.

Results: Plasma iron concentration was lower in horses with systemic inflammation (64 +/- 45 microg/dL) than the reference interval minimum (105 microg/dL) and were significantly lower (P = .001) than the value in a group of horses with local inflammation (123 +/- 45 microg/dL) and in healthy transported horses (143 +/- 29 microg/dL). Low plasma iron and high fibrinogen concentrations were both sensitive indicators of systemic inflammation in horses with sensitivity of 90 and 82%, respectively. There was a similar correlation between either continued decreases in iron concentration (Rsp of 0.239) or increases in fibrinogen concentration (Rsp of 0.280) during hospitalization and a worse prognosis.

Conclusions and clinical importance: Measurement of plasma iron concentration better reflected acute inflammation than did fibrinogen concentration.