Iron-related markers of inflammation in horses with colic.
Authors: Canola P A, Salles R F de, Daneze E R, Sobreira M F R, Oliveira B E de, Favero M L, Antonioli M L
Journal: Journal of equine veterinary science
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Iron Metabolism and Inflammation in Equine Colic Researchers compared iron-related inflammatory markers and acute phase proteins (APPs) between 10 healthy horses and 12 horses undergoing surgery for strangulating colic, measuring ferritin, transferrin, iron, haptoglobin, ceruloplasmin, fibrinogen and albumin on admission. Horses with colic showed markedly elevated haptoglobin (34.8 vs 20.8 mg/dL) and transferrin (487 vs 369 mg/dL) alongside significantly depressed iron levels (96.9 vs 218 µg/dL), with small intestinal obstructions exhibiting higher transferrin values (598.6 mg/dL) than large intestinal cases (374.6 mg/dL). Ferritin demonstrated moderate positive correlations with total protein and albumin in colic cases, suggesting its role as a true APP in horses, whilst elevated fibrinogen emerged as a multivariate predictor of non-survival in strangulating obstruction. These findings provide clinicians with additional prognostic markers for colic severity and survival likelihood, particularly fibrinogen as a risk indicator, whilst also suggesting that iron sequestration (evidenced by low serum iron with elevated haptoglobin and transferrin) represents a measurable inflammatory response worthy of monitoring during colic management and recovery.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Iron-related inflammatory markers (haptoglobin, transferrin, iron) can help identify horses with strangulating colic and differentiate severity by intestinal segment affected
- •Fibrinogen elevation on admission may serve as a prognostic indicator—horses with markedly elevated fibrinogen have higher mortality risk and warrant more aggressive intervention
- •These iron and APP markers provide additional diagnostic tools to support clinical decision-making in acute abdominal cases and may help predict which colic cases will require intensive supportive care
Key Findings
- •Horses with surgical colic had significantly higher haptoglobin (34.8 vs 20.8 mg/dL) and transferrin (487 vs 369 mg/dL) but lower iron (96.9 vs 218 µg/dL) compared to healthy controls
- •Large intestine obstruction cases had lower transferrin (374.6 mg/dL) than small intestinal obstruction (598.6 mg/dL)
- •Ferritin showed moderate positive correlation with total protein (r=0.594) and albumin (r=0.584) in colic horses, supporting its role as an acute phase protein
- •Fibrinogen levels were significantly elevated in non-surviving horses, indicating increased mortality risk in strangulating obstructions