Table 1.
Mean ± standard deviation (s), and proportion of the population falling into currently accepted clinical reference ranges, for serum Se, vitamin E, T4, and T3 in PEI horses
| Young pleasure horses (n = 31) | Aged pleasure horses (n = 34) | Racehorses (n = 36) | Broodmares (n = 50) | Foals (n = 50) | Overall (n = 201) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Se concentrations | ||||||
| Mean ± s | 0.061 ± 0.031 | 0.080 ± 0.051 | 0.14 ± 0.032 | 0.11 ± 0.031 | 0.059 ± 0.053 | |
| % Deficient (0.008–0.0053 ppm) | 36 | 41 | 0 | 6 | 60a | 29 |
| % Marginal (0.0053–0.120 ppm) | 61 | 41 | 45 | 66 | 36 | 50 |
| % Adequate (0.140–0.250 ppm) | 3 | 18 | 55 | 28 | 4 | 21 |
| Vitamin E concentrations | ||||||
| Mean ± s | 4473.0 ± 2327.0 | 7454.2 ± 3563.2 | 8686.1 ± 2779.4 | 7973.8 ± 2166.9 | 9465.6 ± 3637.8 | |
| % Deficient (< 3480 μmol/L) | 39 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| % Marginal (3480–4643 μmol/L) | 16 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| % Adequate (4644–23 220 μmol/L) | 45 | 76 | 97 | 98 | 100 | 86 |
| T4 concentrations | ||||||
| Mean ± s | 29.34 ± 9.730 | 24.46 ± 119.8 | 10.18 ± 5.039 | 26.11 ± 47.27 | 281.9 ± 78.6 | |
| % Inadequate (< 15 nmol/L) | 6 | 12 | 78 | 58 | 2 | 32 |
| % Adequate (15–51 nmol/L) (foal: 279–464 nmol/L) | 94 | 88 | 22 | 42 | 98 | 68 |
| T3 concentrations | ||||||
| Mean ± s | 1.26 ± 0.420 | 1.29 ± 5.04 | 1.29 ± 0.673 | 1.76 ± 2.47 | 12.89 ± 3.714 | |
| % Inadequate (< 0.4 nmol/L) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| % Adequate (0.4–1.7 nmol/L) (foal: 10–19 nmol/L) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
a
Se-deficient foals were born to 27 of the 36 Se-deficient/marginal broodmares, while Se-deficient foals were born to only 3 of the 14 Se-adequate mares.