CREATINE KINASE: PROGNOSTIC VALUE IN HORSES WITH COLIC
Camila Rios Salomão de Souza, Wilson Roberto Fernandes, Carla Bargi Belli, Raquel
Yvonne Arantes Baccarin, Luis Claudio Lopes Correia da Silva, André Luis do Valle de
Zoppa, Paulo Ari Tietbohl Leiria.
Introduction – Predicting survival in horses with colic is challenging. Generally there is
no specific sign or group of clinical values that can accurately predict survival of horses
with colic. Thus, it is vital to search for the most practical and objective parameters to
assess the prognosis of horses with colic. Objective – Determine possible prognostic
values for creatine kinase (CK) and its isoenzyme MB (CKMB – present in the
gastrointestinal tract and in other tissues) in cases of equine colic. Methods – Sixteen
horses admitted to the FMVZ-USP Veterinary Hospital for acute abdominal disease
were evaluated by physical examination and CK and CKMB measurements. These
animals were divided into two groups, GI (surviving) and GII (non-surviving). Results More than fifty percent (9/16) of the horses in this study presented with an increase in
total CK. The values for GII were significantly greater than those in GI (p=0.0197). The
CKMB values were also elevated, but there was no significant difference between
groups. Discussion – In this small group of animals, high CK activities were found in
many of the horses with colic. This finding might be the result of the presence of
gastrointestinal lesions, such as inflammation, ischemia and necrosis, as well as to some
events that occur commonly in horses with colic, such as hemolysis due to dehydration,
increase in muscular activity, and muscular injury during prolonged transportation or
rolling (very common in horses with colic). CKMB was shown to have little prognostic
value in the animals under study. We hypothesize that the increase occurring in some
cases was due to the type and extension of the lesion occurring in those animals. Based
on these findings, CKMB might be used to determine the extension and severity of the
lesions present in the GI tract of a horse with colic. Conclusion –CK enzyme might be
elevated in colic horses and might be used for prognostic purposes. However, its
isoenzyme MB showed no prognostic value. It may be useful to determine the extension
of gastrointestinal lesions in horses with colic.
Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia – Universidade de São Paulo
e-mail: [email protected]
Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia – Universidade de São Paulo
e-mail: [email protected]