Changes in the cellular composition of blood in horses in acute laminitis
Authors: A. Nefedov, Vladimir Lutsai, Svetlana Kontsevay, A. Rudenko
Journal: Agrarian science
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Blood Cell Changes in Acute Equine Laminitis Acute laminitis represents a systemic inflammatory challenge with profound effects on multiple organ systems, yet our understanding of the haematological response during the acute phase remains limited. Researchers compared blood samples from clinically healthy horses against those showing acute laminitis signs, performing manual differential white blood cell counts and calculating percentage changes between groups. Horses with acute laminitis demonstrated a marked elevation in total leukocyte count—approximately 302.5% above control values—alongside a 41.52% increase in segmented neutrophils, changes attributed to the inflammatory cascade and traumatic damage to the sole triggering G-CSF-mediated neutrophil mobilisation from bone marrow reserves. These haematological shifts provide measurable biomarkers of the acute inflammatory state in laminitis and suggest that serial white blood cell monitoring could offer clinicians an objective tool for assessing disease severity and tracking therapeutic response during the critical early stages of the condition.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Blood leukocyte and neutrophil counts can serve as diagnostic indicators for acute laminitis, reflecting the severity of inflammatory response
- •The marked elevation in white blood cells confirms laminitis is a systemic inflammatory disease, not merely a local hoof problem
- •Consider haematological findings alongside clinical signs when assessing laminitis severity and monitoring treatment response
Key Findings
- •Laminitis horses showed a 302.5% increase in leukocytes compared to healthy controls, indicating significant inflammatory response
- •Segmented neutrophils increased by 41.52% in laminitis cases, likely triggered by hoof sole trauma and G-CSF stimulation
- •Blood cellular composition changes suggest laminitis activates both lymphocyte and neutrophil production as part of multi-organ inflammatory disease