Comparison of bronchodilators in alleviating clinical signs in horses with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

This research involved testing three different types of bronchodilators to see their effectiveness in relieving symptoms in horses suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The study found that atropine, one of the tested drugs, demonstrated the most substantial reduction in intrathoracic pressures and improvements in clinical signs.

Methodology

• The study involved the administration of three bronchodilator drugs to horses showing signs of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
• The bronchodilators tested were atropine, an anticholinergic, isoproterenol HCl, a beta-adrenergic, as well as aminophylline, which is the soluble salt of theophylline, a methylxanthine.
• The researchers evaluated the effectiveness of the drugs by measuring the maximal change in intrathoracic pressures (represented as delta Ppl) and observing the clinical signs of the disease.

Results

• Atropine was found to result in a significant (P less than 0.01) reduction in delta Ppl compared to aminophylline.
• After the administration of atropine, the delta Ppl decreased on average by 83 +/- 15% towards normal. In 87% of cases, an improvement in clinical signs was observed.
• The administration of isoproterenol HCl resulted in 77% of horses displaying clinical improvement, with a reduction in delta Ppl of 68 +/- 31% on average towards normal.
• Aminophylline helped alleviate clinical signs in only 50% of the horses and resulted in an average reduction in delta Ppl of 41 +/- 36% towards normal.

Conclusion

• The results of the study showed that out of the three bronchodilators tested, atropine was the most effective in alleviating the clinical signs of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in horses.
• Both the decrease in intrathoracic pressures and the observed clinical improvements indicate the efficacy of atropine as a bronchodilator in treating the disease.