Epidemiology of pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction: A systematic literature review of clinical presentation, disease prevalence and risk factors.

The research article reviews published literature on the epidemiology of Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID), a degenerative disease in horses and ponies. The review includes assessments of the clinical presentation, prevalence and risk factors for this aging-related disease, with a specific focus on its presentation, prevalence, and associated risk factors.

Disease Overview

• Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) is a degenerative condition affecting the aging population of horses and ponies.

Research Methodology

• The researchers conducted a systematic review by extensively searching different databases for relevant literature published before August 2016, all of which were in the English language.
• Of the 358 papers found initially, the number was refined to 29 after a rigorous eligibility screening by the authors.
• The authors then extracted relevant data from these papers and evaluated their quality using predefined criteria. Questions of definition, variance in study populations, and statistical limitations prevented their capacity to run a meta-analysis.

Study Findings

• The majority of studies were either case series or cross-sectional studies, presenting a variety of population samples and PPID case definitions.
• Clinical symptoms of PPID commonly reported in the studies included abnormalities in hair coat, laminitis, and muscle wasting or atrophy, all of which become more commonplace with increasing horse age.
• The most proficient prevalence estimates for PPID in the literature were found to be 21.2% in equine aged 15 years and above and 2.9% across general equine demographics.
• However, the research findings regarding breed and gender predispositions towards PPID were found to be inconclusive; only age was identified as a significant risk factor contributing to PPID.

Conclusion

• Though PPID is a significant problem in equine practice, information on its epidemiology remains limited. The review indicates that further in-depth and standardized research is required to gain better insights about the disease’s epidemiological characteristics and risk factors.