Abstract Objective —To evaluate baseline plasma cortisol and ACTH concentrations and responses to low-dose ACTH stimulation testing in ill foals. Design —Cross-sectional study. Animals —58 ill foals. Procedures —Baseline cortisol and ACTH concentrations and cortisol concentrations after administration of a low dose of cosyntropin were determined within 6 hours after admission. Foals were assigned to 4 groups on the basis of age (≤ 24 hours vs 1 to 56 days) and presence of septicemia (yes vs no). Values were compared among groups and with values previously reported for healthy foals. Results —Plasma cortisol concentrations 30 and 60 minutes after cosyntropin administration in foals ≤ 24 hours old were significantly higher than corresponding cortisol concentrations in older foals. In all 4 groups, plasma cortisol concentration 30 minutes after cosyntropin administration was significantly higher than baseline cortisol concentration or concentration 60 minutes after cosyntropin administration. No differences in baseline cor-tisol or ACTH concentration or in the ACTH-to-cortisol ratio were detected between groups or when ill foals were compared with healthy foals. A small number of ill foals had low baseline cortisol and ACTH concentrations or low responses to cosyntropin administration, compared with healthy foals. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance —Results indicated that most ill foals in the present study population had adequate responses to cosyntropin administration. However, a small subset of ill foals appeared to have dysfunction of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.
The purpose of the present descriptive study was to determine the risks associated with hypertension in Vietnamese communities around Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The 357 volunteers for this health promotion screening consisted of 125 men and 232 women, 19-85 years of age. Participants completed surveys on their cardiovascular health history, health practices and hypertension knowledge. Nearly one-third of the sample was found to have systolic blood pressure (SBP) above 139 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) above 89 mmHg. Fifteen participants had either SBP over 180 mmHg or DBP over 108 mmHg, nine of these 15 participants were taking antihypertensive drugs and 76 were taking other cardiac medications. The majority (98%) cooked with salt and 75% added salt when eating. Drinking alcohol (21%) and smoking (23%) were more common in male participants. Knowledge of cardiovascular risks was very low, indicating a need for community health promotion activities with educational campaigns and further screenings.
Background: Arginine vasopressin (AVP) has received increased attention in equine critical care but there is minimal information of AVP concentration in foals. The clinical usefulness of measuring AVP in ill foals depends on knowledge of age‐related changes in AVP concentrations in healthy foals. Hypothesis: Plasma AVP concentrations will be significantly different when measured from birth to 3 months of age in healthy foals. Animals: Thirteen healthy university‐owned foals. Methods: Prospective, observational study. Blood was collected from healthy foals at birth and 3, 5, 7, 10, 14, 21, 28, 42, 56, and 84 days of age. Plasma was harvested and plasma AVP concentrations were determined by radioimmunoassay. Results: No statistically significant differences were detected in plasma AVP concentrations over the study period. Plasma AVP concentrations over the entire study period was 6.2 ± 2.5 pg/mL. Conclusions and Clinical Importance: There was no age‐related variation in plasma AVP concentrations detected in healthy foals from birth to 3 months of age suggesting that AVP concentrations are similar across foals of these ages.
The purpose of this study was to investigate total baseline plasma cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) concentrations, and ACTH-stimulated cortisol concentrations in foals from birth to 12 wk of age. Plasma (baseline) cortisol and ACTH concentrations were measured in 13 healthy foals at birth and at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, 14, 21, 28, 42, 56, and 84 d of age. Each foal received cosyntropin (0.1 microg/kg) intravenously. Plasma cortisol concentrations were measured before (baseline), and 30, and 60 min after cosyntropin administration at birth and at 3, 5, 7, 10, 14, 21, 28, 42, 56, and 84 d of age. Compared with baseline, cortisol concentration increased significantly 30 min after administration of cosyntropin on all days. Cortisol concentration was highest at birth, measured at 30 and 60 min after cosyntropin administration, compared with all other days. With the exception of birth measurements, cortisol concentration was significantly higher on day 84, measured at 30 and 60 min after cosyntropin administration, when compared with all other days. Baseline plasma ACTH was lowest at birth when compared with concentrations on days 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, 14, 42, 56, and 84. Administration of 0.1 microg/kg of cosyntropin, IV, reliably induces cortisol secretion in healthy foals. Differences in the magnitude of response to cosyntropin are observed depending on the age of the foal. These data should serve as a reference for the ACTH stimulation test in foals and should be useful in subsequent studies to evaluate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in healthy and critically ill foals.
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