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Home / Equine Research Bank / Animals (Basel) / Co-Occurrence of Severe Equine Asthma and Palatal Disorders ...
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2023; 13(12); doi: 10.3390/ani13121962

Co-Occurrence of Severe Equine Asthma and Palatal Disorders in Privately Owned Pleasure Horses.

Abstract: According to the "unified or united airway disease" theory, diseases in the upper and lower airways frequently co-occur because they represent a single morphological and functional unit. Palatal disorders (PDs) and severe equine asthma (SEA) are frequent diseases that, respectively, affect upper and lower equine airways; however, clinical studies focusing on the co-occurrence of PDs and SEA are limited. The present study investigated the prevalence of PDs in horses affected by SEA, and whether prevalence decreased after SEA treatment. Forty-six privately owned horses affected by SEA in exacerbation were included. For each horse, the severity of the asthma clinical signs was assessed using a previously described scoring system, and the co-occurrence of palatal disorders was investigated using overground endoscopy, before and after treatment for SEA. Before treatment (in exacerbation), 67.4% of SEA-affected horses showed evidence of PDs, including 39.1% showing evidence of palatal instability (PI) and 28.3% of dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP). Airway inflammation (neutrophil percentage in the tracheal wash and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid) was worse in horses with co-occurring PDs. After treatment (in remission), no horses showed evidence of PI, while DDSP was diagnosed in 8.7% of horses. These findings suggest that palatal disorders respond to asthma treatment, supporting the hypothesis that both diseases could be manifestation of a common underlying disorder.
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Publication Date: 2023-06-12 PubMed ID: 37370472PubMed Central: PMC10295701DOI: 10.3390/ani13121962Google Scholar: Lookup
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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 study analyzes the prevalence of Palatal Disorders (PDs) in horses suffering from Severe Equine Asthma (SEA) and also observes any changes in this prevalence after treatment for SEA. The research shows a high occurrence of PDs in SEA affected horses which decreased following SEA treatment, thus hinting at the fact that both the disorders might be a manifestation of a common underlying disorder.

Study Purpose and Design

  • The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of Palatal Disorders (PDs) in horses affected by Severe Equine Asthma (SEA), a frequent disease affecting the lower equine airways.
  • The researchers adopted a unified or united airway disease theory, which suggests that diseases in the upper and lower airways often co-occur as they represent a singular morphological and functional unit.
  • The study also aimed to determine whether the prevalence of PDs, which impact the upper equine airways, decreases after treatment for SEA.
  • A total of 46 privately-owned horses affected by SEA in exacerbation were included in the study.

Method of Investigation

  • For each horse involved in the study, the severity of SEA was determined using a previously defined scoring system.
  • The co-occurrence of palatal disorders was identified using overground endoscopy, both before and after treatment for SEA.
  • The researchers diagnosed Palatal Instability (PI) and Dorsal Displacement of the Soft Palate (DDSP), both types of PDs, and recorded the percentage of horses with these disorders.

Findings and Conclusion

  • Before SEA treatment, 67.4% of the horses showed signs of PD, 39.1% had evidence of PI and 28.3% demonstrated DDSP.
  • Airway inflammation was worse in horses with co-occurring PDs.
  • After treatment for SEA, no horses showed evidence of PI, and only 8.7% of horses were diagnosed with DDSP.
  • The significant reduction in the prevalence of PDs post SEA treatment led the researchers to hypothesize that both the PDs and SEA might be manifestations of a common underlying disorder.

This study thus contributes valuable insights into the possible correlation between SEA and PDs exploring the united airway disease theory in the context of horses. The findings could potentially inform more effective treatment strategies for horses suffering from SEA and PDs.

Cite This Article

APA
Kozłowska N, Wierzbicka M, Pawliński B, Domino M. (2023). Co-Occurrence of Severe Equine Asthma and Palatal Disorders in Privately Owned Pleasure Horses. Animals (Basel), 13(12). https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13121962

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 13
Issue: 12

Researcher Affiliations

Kozłowska, Natalia
  • Department of Large Animal Diseases and Clinic, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland.
Wierzbicka, Małgorzata
  • Department of Large Animal Diseases and Clinic, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland.
Pawliński, Bartosz
  • Department of Large Animal Diseases and Clinic, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland.
Domino, Małgorzata
  • Department of Large Animal Diseases and Clinic, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 2 times.
  1. Kozłowska N, Borowska M, Jasiński T, Wierzbicka M, Domino M. Computer-Aided Diagnosis of Equine Pharyngeal Lymphoid Hyperplasia Using the Object Detection-Based Processing Technique of Digital Endoscopic Images. Animals (Basel) 2025 Sep 22;15(18).
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  2. Mańkowska A, Witkowska D. The Most Common Environmental Risk Factors for Equine Asthma-A Narrative Review. Animals (Basel) 2024 Jul 14;14(14).
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