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A review of equine muscle disorders.
Abstract: Muscle disorders are a common cause of disability in horses. For many years, clinical manifestations such as muscle pain, exercise intolerance, weakness, and stiffness were believed to be caused by a single syndrome. However, in the past years a broad spectrum of muscle disorders have been recognized including glycogen and polysaccharide storage myopathies, malignant hyperthermia, mitochondrial myopathy, hyperkalemic periodic paralysis and others. For some, a specific mutation has been identified. Recognition of the myopathic clinical phenotype and thorough clinical, electrodiagnostic, and histological evaluations are essential to further our understanding of equine myopathies. Advances in understanding equine myopathies may potentially benefit other species including humans.
Publication Date: 2008-04-09 PubMed ID: 18395447DOI: 10.1016/j.nmd.2008.01.001Google 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
- Review
- Clinical Findings
- Clinical Pathology
- Comparative Study
- Diagnosis
- Disease Diagnosis
- Disease Etiology
- Equine Diseases
- Equine Health
- Genetics
- Glycogen
- Histology
- Horses
- Hyperkalemic Periodic Paralysis
- Mitochondria
- Muscle
- Musculoskeletal System
- Myography
- Pathology
- Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy
- Veterinary Care
- Veterinary Medicine
Summary
This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.
The research article explores the different types of muscle disorders in horses and underlines the need for a comprehensive study to understand these myopathies. It highlights how advancements in studying equine myopathies can potentially benefit other species, including humans.
Understanding Equine Muscle Disorders
When it comes to equine muscle disorders, it was commonly presumed that symptoms like muscle pain, exercise intolerance, weakness, and stiffness were caused by a solitary syndrome for a long duration. However, the article discusses the identification of a wide range of muscle disorders in horses that include:
- Glycogen and Polysaccharide storage myopathies
- Malignant hyperthermia
- Mitochondrial myopathy
- Hyperkalemic periodic paralysis, among others
For some of these disorders, a specific mutation has been identified, proving that each disorder’s background is unique and separate.
Importance of Detailed Clinical Evaluation
The article underscores the importance of recognizing the myopathic clinical phenotype, which refers to the physical expression of a particular disorder due to the genetic mutation. It emphasizes the necessity for an all-inclusive evaluation that encompasses clinical, electrodiagnostic, and histological evaluations. This approach is critical because it helps in:
- Determining the specific type of muscle disorder present.
- Understanding the underlying pathological processes.
- Developing specific treatment and management strategies.
Potential Benefits to Other Species
One of the significant highlights of the article is the potential benefits the advancements in this line of research could have for other species, specifically humans. Because many muscle disorders have similar underlying molecular mechanisms across different species, better understanding and treatment approaches in equs could provide vital cues for human muscle disorders. The commonalities between certain equine and human muscle disorders make this possible, and such cross-species benefits have been recorded in previous research.
In conclusion, the article suggests that thorough and comprehensive studies of muscle disorders in horses can lead not only to better management of the disorders in the equine population but also shed light on potential management and treatment strategies for similar disorders in humans and other species.
Cite This Article
APA
Aleman M.
(2008).
A review of equine muscle disorders.
Neuromuscul Disord, 18(4), 277-287.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nmd.2008.01.001 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, Tupper Hall 2108, One Shields Avenue, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA. mraleman@ucdavis.edu
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Horse Diseases
- Horses
- Muscular Diseases / veterinary
References
This article includes 85 references
Citations
This article has been cited 11 times.- Durward-Akhurst SA, Valberg SJ. Myosin Heavy Chain Myopathy and Immune-Mediated Muscle Disorders. Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract 2025 Apr;41(1):61-75.
- Coluccia P, Gizzarelli M, Scicluna MT, Manna G, Foglia Manzillo V, Buono F, Auletta L, Palumbo V, Pasolini MP. A cross-sectional study on performance evaluation in Italian standardbred horses' real-time PCR-positive for Theileria equi. BMC Vet Res 2024 Mar 5;20(1):79.
- Kalaeva E, Kalaev V, Chernitskiy A, Alhamed M, Safonov V. Incidence risk of bronchopneumonia in newborn calves associated with intrauterine diselementosis. Vet World 2020 May;13(5):987-995.
- Breed D, Meyer LCR, Steyl JCA, Goddard A, Burroughs R, Kohn TA. Conserving wildlife in a changing world: Understanding capture myopathy-a malignant outcome of stress during capture and translocation. Conserv Physiol 2019;7(1):coz027.
- Zakia LS, Palumbo MIP, Teixeira RBC, Resende LAL, Soares MP, de Oliveira-Filho JP, Amorim RM, Borges AS. Neuromyotonia in a horse. J Vet Intern Med 2019 Jan;33(1):287-291.
- Tosi I, Art T, Cassart D, Farnir F, Ceusters J, Serteyn D, Lemieux H, Votion DM. Altered mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation capacity in horses suffering from polysaccharide storage myopathy. J Bioenerg Biomembr 2018 Oct;50(5):379-390.
- Shiga T, Okuno S, Uchida K, Chambers JK, Nakayama H. Electrophysiological and histopathological findings of muscular disease suspected as myotonic dystrophy in a Shiba dog. J Vet Med Sci 2018 Mar 24;80(3):480-484.
- Zapata M, Kunii IS, Paninka RM, Simões DM, Castillo VA, Reche A Jr, Maciel RM, Dias da Silva MR. Molecular cloning of ion channels in Felis catus that are related to periodic paralyses in man: a contribution to the understanding of the genetic susceptibility to feline neck ventroflexion and paralysis. Biol Open 2014 Jul 25;3(9):785-93.
- Torgersen JS, Koppang EO, Stien LH, Kohler A, Pedersen ME, Mørkøre T. Soft texture of atlantic salmon fillets is associated with glycogen accumulation. PLoS One 2014;9(1):e85551.
- Gandolfi B, Gruffydd-Jones TJ, Malik R, Cortes A, Jones BR, Helps CR, Prinzenberg EM, Erhardt G, Lyons LA. First WNK4-hypokalemia animal model identified by genome-wide association in Burmese cats. PLoS One 2012;7(12):e53173.
- Barrey E, Mucher E, Jeansoule N, Larcher T, Guigand L, Herszberg B, Chaffaux S, Guérin G, Mata X, Benech P, Canale M, Alibert O, Maltere P, Gidrol X. Gene expression profiling in equine polysaccharide storage myopathy revealed inflammation, glycogenesis inhibition, hypoxia and mitochondrial dysfunctions. BMC Vet Res 2009 Aug 7;5:29.
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