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Peer-reviewed veterinary case report

Horses showing signs of illness - could it be calcinosis?

By Tan, Jean-Yin et al.·Published in The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne·2010·Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed

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Original publication title: Suspected systemic calcinosis and calciphylaxis in 5 horses.

Species:
horse

Plain-English summary

Five horses were brought in because they were showing signs of muscle problems and overall illness. Blood tests revealed high levels of fibrinogen (a protein that indicates inflammation), phosphorus, and a concerning combination of calcium and phosphorus in their bodies. After they passed away, the examination showed that they had systemic calcinosis, which means there was calcium buildup in various organs like the lungs, kidneys, muscles, and heart. This condition had not been reported in horses before. Unfortunately, the outcome was not positive, as all five horses did not survive.

Abstract

Five horses were presented with signs of myopathy along with systemic malaise, hyperfibrinogenemia, hyperphosphatemia, and an elevated calcium phosphorus product (Ca*P). Postmortem findings were consistent with systemic calcinosis, a syndrome of calcium deposition in the tissue of organs including lungs, kidneys, muscle, and heart that has not been previously described in horses.

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Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21119866/