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Equine veterinary journal2011; 43(2); 145-152; doi: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.2010.00150.x

Evaluation of a risk-screening questionnaire to detect equine lung inflammation: results of a large field study.

Abstract: The diagnosis of equine recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) and inflammatory airway disease (IAD) is based on clinical signs and increased inflammatory cell percentages in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid. Since a BAL is an invasive procedure, a risk-screening questionnaire (RSQ) would be a valuable screening tool for lung inflammation. Objective: To evaluate the accuracy of a RSQ to detect lower airway inflammation (LAI) in a large population of horses. Methods: A standardised BAL was performed in the field on 167 horses in Alberta, Canada. Horses were separated into 3 categories: 1) BAL normal; 2) BAL mild to moderate LAI (MLAI), and 3) BAL severe LAI (SLAI). The horse owners were asked to complete a RSQ. The RSQ scores were compared to the BAL results to determine the likelihood of a horse having MLAI, SLAI or no LAI. Results: Based on BAL cytology, 28 (17%) horses were normal and 139 (83%) were abnormal, with 110 (66%) showing MLAI and 29 (17%) SLAI. Horses with SLAI and MLAI had a mean RSQ score of 0.95 and 0.70, respectively, compared to 0.60 for normal BAL horses. Horses with SLAI showed more clinical signs than normal and MLAI horses. The sensitivity and negative predictive values of the RSQ for detecting SLAI using a cut-off score of 0.87, were excellent at 0.90 (95%CI 0.73-0.98) and 0.96 (95%CI 0.82-1.00). Questions on the clinical signs typically found in RAO cases differed significantly between horses with BAL SLAI and those with BAL normal. Conclusions: Prevalence of MLAI was high in this population. Although the RSQ did not allow differentiating normal horses from horses with MLAI, it has a high sensitivity to detect horses with SLAI and is therefore a good screening tool for SLAI.
© 2010 EVJ Ltd.
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Publication Date: 2011-05-20 PubMed ID: 21592207DOI: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.2010.00150.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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  • 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.

The research article revolves around the use of a risk-screening questionnaire for identifying lung inflammation in horses. The questionnaire’s sensitivity for detecting severe lower airway inflammation was found to be high, thus validating its use as a preliminary screening tool.

Research Methodology

  • The study made use of a standardised bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) technique in a field setting, sampling 167 horses from Alberta, Canada. BAL is a procedure wherein a sample of a horse’s lung fluid is collected to detect inflammation.
  • The sampled horses were categorized under three groups – normal BAL, mild to moderate lower airway inflammation (MLAI), and severe lower airway inflammation (SLAI).
  • Simultaneously, the owners of the horses were asked to complete a risk-screening questionnaire (RSQ).
  • These RSQ scores were then matched against the results of the BAL tests to find if there exists a correlation between horses experiencing lower airway inflammation and their respective RSQ scores.

Research Findings

  • The BAL results showed that out of the total horses, 17% were normal, whereas 83% had abnormal results with 66% exhibiting MLAI and 17% exhibiting SLAI.
  • On an average, horses suffering from SLAI and MLAI had RSQ scores of 0.95 and 0.70 respectively, while horses with normal BAL averaged at 0.60.
  • Horses diagnosed with SLAI were observed to exhibit more clinical signs than those with normal BAL or MLAI.
  • The RSQ demonstrated excellent sensitivity and negative predictive values for detecting SLAI with a predetermined cut-off score of 0.87. This relates to a high accuracy level of the RSQ to identify horses with SLAI.
  • Queries on the RSQ regarding clinical signifiers usually seen in recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) indicated significant differences between horses with normal BAL and those with SLAI.

Conclusion

  • The overall prevalence of MLAI was found to be high within the evaluated population.
  • The RSQ did not efficiently discern between normal horses and those with MLAI. However, it demonstrated strong sensitivity towards horses with SLAI, confirming its application as an effective primary screening tool for SLAI.

Cite This Article

APA
Wasko AJ, Barkema HW, Nicol J, Fernandez N, Logie N, Léguillette R. (2011). Evaluation of a risk-screening questionnaire to detect equine lung inflammation: results of a large field study. Equine Vet J, 43(2), 145-152. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2042-3306.2010.00150.x

Publication

Equine veterinary journal
ISSN: 0425-1644
NlmUniqueID: 0173320
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 43
Issue: 2
Pages: 145-152

Researcher Affiliations

Wasko, A J
  • Department of Production Animal Health and Veterinary Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Barkema, H W
    Nicol, J
      Fernandez, N
        Logie, N
          Léguillette, R

            MeSH Terms

            • Animals
            • Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / cytology
            • Female
            • Horse Diseases / diagnosis
            • Horses
            • Inflammation / diagnosis
            • Inflammation / veterinary
            • Lung Diseases / diagnosis
            • Lung Diseases / veterinary
            • Male
            • Surveys and Questionnaires

            Citations

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