Asthmatic Disease as an Underlying Cause of Dorsal Displacement of the Soft Palate in Horses.
Abstract: It is important to treat the upper and lower respiratory tracts as a single unit, as lower respiratory tract diseases can often cause upper respiratory functional disorders, whereas upper respiratory obstructions could be a factor in lower respiratory problems. The present study aimed to investigate the hypothesis that asthmatic diseases may be an underlying cause of dorsal displacement of the soft palate in horses. Pleasure or sport horses (n = 57) with a history of asthmatic disease were incorporated in the study. All horses were examined in the exacerbation phase of the asthmatic disease. Bronchoalveolar cytology and tracheal lavage bacteriology were performed in all cases. The upper respiratory tract was evaluated at rest in all horses and during exercising endoscopy in 11/57 with severe equine asthma. Binomial tests with P ≤ .05 significance were used to establish estimated intervals of the measured frequencies of dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP) occurring in the studied groups. It was observed that more than 60% of horses with mild or moderate equine asthma and more than 79% of horses with severe equine asthma are presented with DDSP during resting endoscopy examination. During the exercising endoscopy, DDSP was detected in all cases of severe equine asthma. These findings support the proposed hypothesis that DDSP was common in horses with equine asthma. Both increasing negative pressure in the airways due to bronchoconstriction and inflammatory processes could be factors in the development of DDSP. The consequent step would be to investigate the same population of horses in the remission phase of the equine asthma.
Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2020-10-31 PubMed ID: 33349416DOI: 10.1016/j.jevs.2020.103308Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Airway Disease
- Asthma
- Bronchoalveolar Lavage
- Clinical Examination
- Clinical Pathology
- Clinical Study
- Diagnosis
- Disease Diagnosis
- Disease Etiology
- Endoscopy
- Equine Diseases
- Equine Health
- Exercise
- Horses
- Inflammation
- Pleasure Horses
- Respiratory Disease
- Respiratory Health
- Sport Horses
- Veterinary Medicine
- Veterinary Research
Summary
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This study explores the theory that asthmatic diseases could be a hidden cause of dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP) in horses. Findings show that DDSP is quite common among horses with mild to severe equine asthma, supporting the proposed hypothesis.
Research Details
- The research was undertaken to investigate the connection between asthmatic diseases in horses and dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP). The study was initiated based on the premise that diseases of the lower respiratory tract can often lead to functional disorders in the upper respiratory system, and vice versa.
- In the study, 57 horses with a history of asthmatic disease were examined. These were either pleasure or sport horses. The examinations were done during the exacerbation phase of the asthmatic disease.
- Both bronchoalveolar cytology and tracheal lavage bacteriology were performed on all horses to provide a comprehensive examination of their respiratory systems. The upper respiratory tracts of the horses were also assessed, both at rest and during exercise.
Research Findings
- The findings of the study revealed that dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP) was prevalent among the horses with equine asthma. More than 60% of those with mild or moderate equine asthma presented with DDSP during rest, while over 79% of horses with severe equine asthma showed signs of DDSP. In cases of severe equine asthma, DDSP was observed in all subjects during the exercising endoscopy.
- It was suggested that the development of DDSP could be attributed to the increased negative pressure in the airways due to bronchoconstriction and inflammatory processes resulting from equine asthma.
Next Steps
- Having established this connection, the next step in the research would be to examine the same group of horses during the remission phase of equine asthma. This would provide further insights into the relationship between asthmatic diseases and DDSP in horses.
Cite This Article
APA
Joó K, Povázsai Á, Nyerges-Bohák Z, Szenci O, Kutasi O.
(2020).
Asthmatic Disease as an Underlying Cause of Dorsal Displacement of the Soft Palate in Horses.
J Equine Vet Sci, 96, 103308.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2020.103308 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Szent István University, Kaposvári Campus, Doctoral School in Animal Science, Kaposvár, Hungary; Hungarian Academy of Sciences - Szent Istvan University (MTA-SZIE) Large Animal Clinical Research Group, Üllő, Hungary. Electronic address: joo.kinga1@gmail.com.
- Polequi Bt., Piliscsév, Hungary.
- Hungarian Academy of Sciences - Szent Istvan University (MTA-SZIE) Large Animal Clinical Research Group, Üllő, Hungary; National Agricultural Research and Innovation Center, Research Institute for Animal Breeding, Nutrition and Meat Science, Herceghalom, Hungary.
- Hungarian Academy of Sciences - Szent Istvan University (MTA-SZIE) Large Animal Clinical Research Group, Üllő, Hungary.
- Hungarian Academy of Sciences - Szent Istvan University (MTA-SZIE) Large Animal Clinical Research Group, Üllő, Hungary; Department for Animal Breeding, Nutrition and Laboratory Animal Science, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary.
MeSH Terms
- Airway Obstruction / veterinary
- Animals
- Asthma / complications
- Asthma / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / etiology
- Horses
- Palate, Soft
- Physical Conditioning, Animal
Citations
This article has been cited 3 times.- Kozłowska N, Wierzbicka M, Pawliński B, Domino M. Co-Occurrence of Severe Equine Asthma and Palatal Disorders in Privately Owned Pleasure Horses. Animals (Basel) 2023 Jun 12;13(12).
- Lo Feudo CM, Stucchi L, Conturba B, Stancari G, Zucca E, Ferrucci F. Medical causes of poor performance and their associations with fitness in Standardbred racehorses. J Vet Intern Med 2023 Jul-Aug;37(4):1514-1527.
- Lo Feudo CM, Stancari G, Collavo F, Stucchi L, Conturba B, Zucca E, Ferrucci F. Upper and Lower Airways Evaluation and Its Relationship with Dynamic Upper Airway Obstruction in Racehorses. Animals (Basel) 2022 Jun 17;12(12).
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