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Abstract :
[en] CLINICAL FEATURES IN 15 NEWBORN FOALS WITH
SEVERE NUTRITIONAL MYODEGENERATION
Corradini I, Armengou L, Cesarini C, Jose-Cunilleras E,
Monreal L
Servei de Medicina Interna Equina, Departament de Medicina i
Cirurgia Animals, Facultat de Veterina`ria, Universitat Auto`noma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
Introduction/Objectives: Nutritional myodegeneration (NMD) is
a disease associated with selenium and a-tocopherol deficient diets that can affect foals. The objective of the present study was to
report the clinical and clinicopathological findings, treatments and
outcome of a group of newborn foals severely affected with NMD
from some farms with previous dietary changes.
Methods: Newborn foals admitted to the Equine Teaching Hospital of Barcelona between January 2007 and June 2008, with a
diagnosis of NMD, were included.
Results: A total of 15 newborn foals (mean SD age, 26.9 17.3
hours) from 3 different farms were included. The most common
clinical findings on presentation were severe weakness with
pigmenturia. Neonates had a marked increase in plasma muscle
enzymes activities (medians, CK 5 160,700 IU/L and AST 5 7,695 IU/L), together with severe hyponatremia, hyperkalemia, and metabolic acidosis. Five neonates died and the
other 10 had a rapid recovery. Histopathologic findings from nonsurvivors confirmed NMD.
Discussion: Cases reported herein correspond to neonates (less
than 2 days of age) from 3 different farms in an area with no
history of the disease, 2 of which confirmed changes on dams’ diet
during pregnancy. The main clinical findings were severe weakness and pigmenturia, together with marked increases in plasma muscle enzymes activities and severe electrolyte and acid-base
imbalances. In our population all affected foals were neonates
with severe weakness and metabolic derangements.
Conclusions: NMD should be included in the list of differential
diagnoses in newborn foals presenting for weakness also in regions where the disease is not endemic
