Mahmoud Abeer Abd El-Wares, Elsayed Hanan Kamal, Hussein Hussein Awad
Veterinary Internal Medicine, Department of Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, 71526, Egypt.
Department of Animal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, School of Veterinary Medicine, Badr University in Assiut, Assiut, 19952, Egypt.
BMC Vet Res. 2025 Sep 9;21(1):534. doi: 10.1186/s12917-025-04999-z.
Disturbances in lipid metabolism are usually associated with hyperlipidemia, which is commonly observed in donkeys with inappetence or anorexia. The diagnostic utility of ultrasound measurements of croup fat thickness (CFT) and relative liver echogenicity for lipomobilization in donkeys with fasting-induced hyperlipidemia was investigated. A prospective observational control study involving 25 donkeys was conducted, and the animals were randomly assigned to a fasting group (FG, n = 20) and a control group (CG, n = 5). In the FG, the experiment period (10 days) consisted of two stages, the fasting stage (4 days) and the post-fasting stage (6 days).
On six occasions, the following were evaluated: body weight (BW), body condition score (BCS), ultrasound subcutaneous CFT, ultrasound gluteal muscle thickness, liver ultrasonography, and blood metabolites. The ultrasound CFT was significantly reduced at 4 days of fasting (P < 0.05). Donkeys with ≥ 7 mm of CFT before fasting were 6 times more likely to develop hyperlipidemia post-fasting (P < 0.01). Hepatic ultrasonography showed no hepatomegaly. Decrements of the portal vein (PV) diameter were noticed during fasting. The hepatic relative echogenicity (RE) significantly increased after 4 days of fasting, and then decreased after fasting (P < 0.05). The RE of ≥ 78 is a critical threshold for diagnosing hyperlipidemia (P < 0.001). The serum concentrations of triglycerides, total cholesterol, very low-density lipoproteins, high-density lipoproteins, and low-density lipoproteins peaked at 4 days of fasting (P < 0.05). The serum concentrations of FFA increased during fasting (P < 0.05) and then dropped after fasting.
Fasting-induced hyperlipidemia is associated with reductions in CFT with concurrent increased RE, suggesting lipomobilization. CFT and RE could be used as diagnostic tools for hyperlipidemia. Reversible variations in serum metabolites could be noticed in donkeys as complications of fasting-induced hyperlipidemia; therefore, therapy may be unnecessary especially in less severe cases.
脂质代谢紊乱通常与高脂血症相关，高脂血症常见于食欲不振或厌食的驴。本研究探讨了超声测量臀部脂肪厚度（CFT）和肝脏相对回声强度对禁食诱导的高脂血症驴脂肪动员的诊断价值。进行了一项前瞻性观察对照研究，纳入25头驴，将动物随机分为禁食组（FG，n = 20）和对照组（CG，n = 5）。在FG中，实验期（10天）包括两个阶段，禁食阶段（4天）和禁食后阶段（6天）。
在六个时间点评估了以下指标：体重（BW）、体况评分（BCS）、超声皮下CFT、超声臀肌厚度、肝脏超声检查和血液代谢物。禁食4天时超声CFT显著降低（P < 0.05）。禁食前CFT≥7 mm的驴禁食后发生高脂血症的可能性高6倍（P < 0.01）。肝脏超声检查未显示肝肿大。禁食期间门静脉（PV）直径减小。禁食4天后肝脏相对回声强度（RE）显著增加，禁食后降低（P < 0.05）。RE≥78是诊断高脂血症的临界阈值（P < 0.001）。甘油三酯、总胆固醇、极低密度脂蛋白、高密度脂蛋白和低密度脂蛋白的血清浓度在禁食4天时达到峰值（P < 0.05）。游离脂肪酸（FFA）的血清浓度在禁食期间升高（P < 0.05），禁食后下降。
禁食诱导的高脂血症与CFT降低及RE同时升高相关，提示脂肪动员。CFT和RE可作为高脂血症的诊断工具。驴作为禁食诱导的高脂血症并发症，血清代谢物会出现可逆变化；因此，尤其是在病情较轻的情况下可能无需治疗。
