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A Longitudinal Analysis of Equine Asthma Presentation and Response to Treatment Using Lung Function Testing and BAL Cytology Analysis in Combination with Owner Perception.
Abstract: (1) Background: Equine asthma (EA) is a pervasive and important cause of poor performance and respiratory morbidity in horses. Diagnosis of EA includes an owner complaint, clinical scoring, lung function testing, and cytological analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cytology. There is a paucity of information about the longitudinal course of the disease using these outcome assessments; thus, this study sought to describe and quantify, in horses with more than one visit to a specialty pulmonary clinic in New England, the type and range of clinical presentations with an eventual diagnosis of EA. It also aimed to develop and compare the outcomes of scoring systems for owner complaints and veterinary assessments, document and assess the diagnostic methods used, and evaluate the response of the horses to treatment and time. (2) Methods: This study was a retrospective, cross-sectional, STROBE-compliant observational analysis of equine patients who visited the Tufts Cummings Hospital for Large Animals (HLA) for evaluation of equine asthma (EA) from 1999-2023. The horses were categorized as having mild-moderate (mEA) or severe EA (sEA) using the ACVIM consensus statement guidelines. After excluding those with inadequate documentation or only one visit ( = 936), a total of 76 horses were included in the study. Of the 197 visits, 138 (70.0%) resulted in a diagnosis of mEA and 45 (22.8%) resulted in a diagnosis of sEA. Demographic information, owner complaints, clinical examination and scoring, lung function testing, BAL cytology, and recommendations for environmental remediation and pharmacologic treatment were recorded for all the visits. The data were analyzed for agreement between owner complaints (complaint score, CS) and clinical examination findings (examination score, ES), changes in CS and ES, lung function testing, and BAL cytology over time, with 197 visits recorded. (3) Results: A comparison between the CS and ES showed that the owners were more likely than veterinarians to detect cough, and a decrease in cough was the most common owner observation after treatment. The response to the histamine challenge, used to detect airway hyperreactivity, was significantly improved with treatment or time in the horses with mEA, whereas baseline lung function did not significantly change in mEA or sEA. (4) Conclusions: Owners can be astute observers of clinical signs, especially cough, in EA. Tests of airway hyperreactivity are more successful in detecting changes in mEA than are baseline lung function testing and assessment of BAL cytology.
Publication Date: 2023-11-01 PubMed ID: 37958142PubMed Central: PMC10649418DOI: 10.3390/ani13213387Google Scholar: Lookup The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
Summary
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The research article focuses on an evaluation of how horses suffering from Equine Asthma (EA) respond to treatment and their progression over time. The study also examines how perceptions between horse owners and veterinarians differ when it comes to identifying symptoms of EA.
Background of the Study
- The paper presents a research on Equine Asthma, a respiratory condition common in horses that often leads to poor performance and respiratory diseases.
- The study aims to develop a comprehensive understanding of the disease and the effectiveness of its treatments by considering both, clinical tests and owners’ observations.
- The study also focuses on identifying the various symptoms of the disease and how they evolve over time in response to treatments.
Methodology
- The researchers conducted a longitudinal analysis involving 76 horses who visited the Tufts Cummings Hospital for Large Animals between 1999 and 2023.
- All the horses were evaluated based on the guidelines of the ACVIM consensus statement, with the severity of their condition categorized as mild-moderate or severe.
- Data collected included demographic information, owner complaints, clinical scoring, lung function testing results, BAL cytology and recommended treatments.
- The researchers sought to compare the complaint score – based on owners’ feedback, with the exam score – based on clinical examination findings.
Results
- Results showed a significant difference in the perception of EA symptoms between horse owners and veterinarians. Owners were more likely to notice symptoms such as coughing in horses, which was also the most common observation post treatment.
- Through a histamine challenge test – used to detect respiratory hypersensitivity, improvements were noted in horses suffering from mild to moderate EA, but no such improvements were seen in the base lung functions of horses with either mild-moderate or severe EA.
Conclusions
- From the findings, it is clear that horse owners can be good observers of clinical signs of EA, especially in detection of symptoms like coughing.
- Airway hyperreactivity tests have proven to be more successful in detecting changes in EA than baseline lung function testing and BAL cytology assessments.
Cite This Article
APA
Robins TJ, Bedenice D, Mazan M.
(2023).
A Longitudinal Analysis of Equine Asthma Presentation and Response to Treatment Using Lung Function Testing and BAL Cytology Analysis in Combination with Owner Perception.
Animals (Basel), 13(21), 3387.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13213387 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, MA 01536, USA.
- Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, MA 01536, USA.
- Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, MA 01536, USA.
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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Citations
This article has been cited 3 times.- Lendl L, Wirth C, Merle R, Barton AK. Influence of a Standardized Lunging Exercise Test on BALF Cytology in Horses Suffering from Mild-Moderate Equine Asthma. Animals (Basel) 2025 Aug 19;15(16).
- Lendl L, Barton AK. Equine Asthma Diagnostics: Review of Influencing Factors and Difficulties in Diagnosing Subclinical Disease. Animals (Basel) 2024 Dec 4;14(23).
- Meiseberg LK, Delarocque J, de Buhr N, Ohnesorge B. Clinical variability of equine asthma phenotypes and analysis of diagnostic steps in phenotype differentiation. Acta Vet Scand 2024 Sep 18;66(1):51.
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