FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 9000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
Home / Equine Research Bank / J Vet Intern Med / Cardiac changes in horses with atypical myopathy.
Journal of veterinary internal medicine2012; 26(4); 1019-1026; doi: 10.1111/j.1939-1676.2012.00945.x

Cardiac changes in horses with atypical myopathy.

Abstract: Atypical myopathy (AM) is an acute, fatal rhabdomyolysis in grazing horses that mainly affects skeletal muscles. Postmortem examinations have shown that myocardial damage also occurs. Limited information is available on the effect of AM on cardiac function in affected and surviving horses. Objective: To describe electrocardiographic and echocardiographic changes associated with AM in the acute stage of the disease and after follow-up. Methods: Horses (n = 12) diagnosed with AM in which cardiac ultrasound examination and ECG recording were available. Methods: All horses underwent clinical examinations, serum biochemistry, electrocardiography, and echocardiography. Four surviving horses underwent the same examinations after 2-10 weeks. Results: All but 1 horse had increased cardiac troponin I concentrations and 10 horses had ventricular premature depolarizations (VPDs). All horses had prolonged corrected QT (QT(cf) ) intervals on the day of admission and abnormal myocardial wall motion on echocardiography. One of the surviving horses still had VPDs and prolonged QT(cf) at follow-up after 10 weeks. Conclusions: The AM results in characteristic electrocardiographic and echocardiographic changes and may be associated with increased cardiac troponin I concentrations and VPDs. In survivors, abnormal cardiac function still may be found at follow-up after 10 weeks. Additional research in a larger group of horses is necessary to identify the long-term effects of AM on cardiac function.
Copyright © 2012 by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2012-05-31 PubMed ID: 22646196DOI: 10.1111/j.1939-1676.2012.00945.xGoogle 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.
LinkedInCopy
  • Journal Article

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.

This study investigates how Atypical myopathy (AM), a severe muscular disease in horses, affects cardiac function in both the acute stage and after recovery. The researchers used electrocardiography and echocardiography to monitor the horses’ heart changes during the disease and in the weeks following recovery.

Methods

  • The study focused on 12 horses diagnosed with AM. The researchers were able to perform cardiac ultrasound examinations and electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings on these clinically diagnosed horses.
  • The researchers conducted clinical examinations, serum biochemistry, electrocardiography, and echocardiography on all the horses. The serum biochemistry test would reveal any chemical imbalances in the body, while electrocardiography and echocardiography would provide insight into the heart function and structure.
  • Further examinations were carried out on four of the horses that survived the acute stage of AM. These examinations took place 2-10 weeks after the first set.

Results

  • The results of this study showed that all but one horse had increased concentrations of cardiac troponin I, a protein that indicates heart muscle damage.
  • Ten out of the 12 horses displayed ventricular premature depolarizations (VPDs), a condition characterized by abnormal heartbeats stemming from the lower chambers of the heart.
  • All the horses exhibited extended QT(cf) intervals on their ECG readings on the day of admission—a sign of abnormal electrical activity in the heart—and abnormal myocardial wall motion in their heart ultrasound scans.
  • After a follow-up of 2-10 weeks, one of the surviving horses still displayed VPDs and prolonged QT(cf).

Conclusions

  • The researchers concluded that AM results in certain characteristic changes in the horses’ heart activity, as evidenced by the electrocardiography and echocardiography results.
  • The disease may also be associated with elevated cardiac troponin I concentrations and the presence of VPDs.
  • Even after the acute stage of AM, abnormal heart functions can still be observed in some surviving horses, as evidenced by the follow-up examinations.
  • The researchers recognize the need for further studies involving more horses to identify the long-term effects of AM on cardiac function.

Cite This Article

APA
Verheyen T, Decloedt A, De Clercq D, van Loon G. (2012). Cardiac changes in horses with atypical myopathy. J Vet Intern Med, 26(4), 1019-1026. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1939-1676.2012.00945.x

Publication

Journal of veterinary internal medicine
ISSN: 1939-1676
NlmUniqueID: 8708660
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 26
Issue: 4
Pages: 1019-1026

Researcher Affiliations

Verheyen, T
  • Department of Large Animal Internal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Belgium. tinne.verheyen@ugent.be
Decloedt, A
    De Clercq, D
      van Loon, G

        MeSH Terms

        • Animals
        • Arrhythmias, Cardiac / blood
        • Arrhythmias, Cardiac / diagnostic imaging
        • Arrhythmias, Cardiac / physiopathology
        • Arrhythmias, Cardiac / veterinary
        • Echocardiography / veterinary
        • Electrocardiography / veterinary
        • Female
        • Horse Diseases / blood
        • Horse Diseases / diagnostic imaging
        • Horse Diseases / physiopathology
        • Horses
        • Male
        • Rhabdomyolysis / blood
        • Rhabdomyolysis / diagnostic imaging
        • Rhabdomyolysis / physiopathology
        • Rhabdomyolysis / veterinary
        • Troponin I / blood

        Citations

        This article has been cited 9 times.
        1. François AC, Cesarini C, Taminiau B, Renaud B, Kruse CJ, Boemer F, van Loon G, Palmers K, Daube G, Wouters CP, Lecoq L, Gustin P, Votion DM. Unravelling Faecal Microbiota Variations in Equine Atypical Myopathy: Correlation with Blood Markers and Contribution of Microbiome. Animals (Basel) 2025 Jan 26;15(3).
          doi: 10.3390/ani15030354pubmed: 39943124google scholar: lookup
        2. Sander J, Terhardt M, Janzen N, Renaud B, Kruse CJ, François AC, Wouters CP, Boemer F, Votion DM. Tissue Specific Distribution and Activation of Sapindaceae Toxins in Horses Suffering from Atypical Myopathy. Animals (Basel) 2023 Jul 26;13(15).
          doi: 10.3390/ani13152410pubmed: 37570219google scholar: lookup
        3. Williams NJ, Furr M, Navas de Solis C, Campolo A, Davis M, Lacombe VA. Investigating the Relationship Between Cardiac Function and Insulin Sensitivity in Horses: A Pilot Study. Front Vet Sci 2022;9:899951.
          doi: 10.3389/fvets.2022.899951pubmed: 35873691google scholar: lookup
        4. Leroux AA, Moonen M, Farnir F, Deleuze S, Sandersen C, Amory H. Two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography in goats: repeatability, variability, and validation of the technique using an exercise test and an experimentally induced acute ischemic cardiomyopathy. BMC Vet Res 2020 Feb 14;16(1):56.
          doi: 10.1186/s12917-020-02277-8pubmed: 32059677google scholar: lookup
        5. Boemer F, Detilleux J, Cello C, Amory H, Marcillaud-Pitel C, Richard E, van Galen G, van Loon G, Lefère L, Votion DM. Acylcarnitines profile best predicts survival in horses with atypical myopathy. PLoS One 2017;12(8):e0182761.
          doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0182761pubmed: 28846683google scholar: lookup
        6. Flethøj M, Kanters JK, Pedersen PJ, Haugaard MM, Carstensen H, Olsen LH, Buhl R. Appropriate threshold levels of cardiac beat-to-beat variation in semi-automatic analysis of equine ECG recordings. BMC Vet Res 2016 Nov 28;12(1):266.
          doi: 10.1186/s12917-016-0894-2pubmed: 27894294google scholar: lookup
        7. Bochnia M, Ziegler J, Sander J, Uhlig A, Schaefer S, Vollstedt S, Glatter M, Abel S, Recknagel S, Schusser GF, Wensch-Dorendorf M, Zeyner A. Hypoglycin A Content in Blood and Urine Discriminates Horses with Atypical Myopathy from Clinically Normal Horses Grazing on the Same Pasture. PLoS One 2015;10(9):e0136785.
          doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0136785pubmed: 26378918google scholar: lookup
        8. Van Der Vekens N, Decloedt A, Ven S, De Clercq D, van Loon G. Cardiac troponin I as compared to troponin T for the detection of myocardial damage in horses. J Vet Intern Med 2015 Jan;29(1):348-54.
          doi: 10.1111/jvim.12530pubmed: 25619522google scholar: lookup
        9. Votion DM. The story of equine atypical myopathy: a review from the beginning to a possible end. ISRN Vet Sci 2012;2012:281018.
          doi: 10.5402/2012/281018pubmed: 23762581google scholar: lookup
        Subscribe to our newsletter
        Join 99,357 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.