Association between Eosinophil Count and Cortisol Concentrations in Equids Admitted in the Emergency Unit with Abdominal Pain.
Authors: Villalba-Orero María, Contreras-Aguilar María Dolores, Cerón Jose Joaquín, Fuentes-Romero Beatriz, Valero-González Marta, Martín-Cuervo María
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary Eosinopenia is a well-established marker of the stress leukogram in horses, yet its clinical utility in acute colic cases remains under-explored. This 2024 research examined 39 emergency equids with abdominal pain to investigate whether eosinophil count (EC) could serve as a practical proxy for salivary cortisol concentration—a validated stress indicator that predicts outcome severity but requires laboratory analysis unavailable in most emergency settings. Non-survivors displayed significantly elevated cortisol (1.580 µg/dL versus 0.988 µg/dL, *p* < 0.05) and markedly suppressed eosinophil counts (median 0.000 × 10³/µL versus 0.045 × 10³/µL, *p* < 0.01), with a strong inverse correlation between cortisol and EC (*r* = −0.523, *p* < 0.01). Whilst these findings suggest EC could offer clinicians a readily available haematological parameter to gauge disease severity and prognostic likelihood without sending samples away, the authors appropriately urge caution: larger, prospective studies are required before confidently integrating eosinophil count into survival prediction algorithms for colic cases. For practitioners managing acute abdominal pain, these results encourage scrutinising the full stress leukogram—particularly profound eosinopenia—as an accessible marker of systemic stress intensity.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •In emergency settings where cortisol testing is unavailable, eosinophil counts from routine blood work may help predict survival outcomes in horses with abdominal pain—lower counts suggest poorer prognosis
- •Severely stressed horses presenting with abdominal pain typically show both elevated cortisol and eosinopenia; these findings together support a stress leukogram pattern
- •While promising, eosinophil count should not yet replace clinical judgment or other diagnostic parameters; further validation is needed before routine prognostic application
Key Findings
- •Non-surviving horses with abdominal pain had significantly higher salivary cortisol concentrations (1.580 ± 0.816 µg/dL) compared to survivors (0.988 ± 0.653 µg/dL; p < 0.05)
- •Non-surviving horses had significantly lower eosinophil counts (0.0000 × 10³/µL) versus survivors (0.0450 × 10³/µL; p < 0.01)
- •Strong negative correlation (r = -0.523, p < 0.01) was observed between salivary cortisol concentration and eosinophil count
- •Eosinophil count may serve as a practical alternative to cortisol measurement for predicting survival in emergency equine abdominal pain cases