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Heart murmurs and valvular regurgitation in thoroughbred racehorses: epidemiology and associations with athletic performance.
Abstract: Cardiac murmurs associated with valvular regurgitation occur commonly in conditioned performance horses, but their association with athletic performance is unknown. Objective: Cardiac valvular regurgitation has a negative association with race performance. Methods: Five hundred and twenty-six "race fit" Thoroughbred racehorses engaged in either flat (race distance 1,000-2,500 m) or jump racing (race distance 3,200-6,400 m). Methods: Cardiac auscultation and color flow Doppler (CFD) echocardiography were performed on 777 occasions. The associations between the presence and severity of either an audible cardiac murmur or valvular regurgitation assessed by CFD, and published, objective measures of race performance were determined using a standard regression approach. Results: The prevalence of murmurs and of regurgitation varied significantly between racetypes (P<.02), generally increasing from 2-year olds to chasers. There were no consistent associations between racing performance and either grade of murmur or regurgitation, whether the presence or absence of regurgitation or murmur, or only murmurs > or =3/6 or regurgitation > or =6/9, were considered. Conclusions: There were differences in prevalence and severity of murmurs of atrioventricular and aortic valve regurgitation between racehorses in different disciplines. Data also showed that neither regurgitation nor murmurs were negatively associated with Timeform rating, an index of UK racehorse quality, in any of the groups of racehorses studied.
Publication Date: 2008-03-10 PubMed ID: 18346144DOI: 10.1111/j.1939-1676.2008.0053.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.
- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
- Athletic Horses
- Athletic Performance
- Cardiovascular Health
- Clinical Findings
- Clinical Pathology
- Diagnostic Technique
- Echocardiography
- Epidemiology
- Equine Diseases
- Equine Health
- Exercise Physiology
- Heart Murmur
- Horse Breeds
- Horse Racing
- Performance Horses
- Regression Analysis
- Thoroughbreds
- Veterinary Care
- Veterinary Medicine
- Veterinary Research
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 investigates the link between heart murmurs and valve regurgitation in performance racehorses, their prevalence in different types of racing, and whether these conditions affect the horses’ racing performance.
Objective
The main objective of the study was to determine if heart murmurs and valvular regurgitation have a negative impact on race performance of Thoroughbred racehorses. These two conditions are common in performance horses, but their effect on athletic performance has not been firmly established.
Methods
- The study was based on 526 Thoroughbred racehorses involved in flat or jump racing, covering race distances from 1,000 to 6,400 meters.
- The research team carried out cardiac auscultation and color flow Doppler (CFD) echocardiography on 777 occasions to detect the presence and severity of heart murmurs and valvular regurgitation.
- The researchers than compared these findings with objective measures of race performance using a standard regression approach.
Results
- The study found significant variance in the prevalence of heart murmurs and valvular regurgitation depending on the type of race, with prevalences typically increasing from younger to older horses.
- However, the study did not establish any consistent associations between the grade of heart murmurs or regurgitation and the racing performance of the horses.
- This lack of association was consistent even when considering only severe cases of valvular regurgitation and murmurs.
Conclusions
- The research concluded that there are significant differences in the prevalence and severity of heart murmurs and valvular regurgitations among racehorses participating in different disciplines.
- However, the findings also indicate that neither of these conditions have a negative impact on the quality of race performance when measured using the Timeform rating, a UK index of racehorse quality.
Cite This Article
APA
Young LE, Rogers K, Wood JL.
(2008).
Heart murmurs and valvular regurgitation in thoroughbred racehorses: epidemiology and associations with athletic performance.
J Vet Intern Med, 22(2), 418-426.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1939-1676.2008.0053.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Specialist Equine Cardiology Services, Suffolk, United Kingdom. lesleyeyoung@googlemail.com
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Echocardiography, Doppler, Color / veterinary
- Female
- Heart Auscultation / veterinary
- Heart Murmurs / epidemiology
- Heart Murmurs / veterinary
- Heart Valve Diseases / epidemiology
- Heart Valve Diseases / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horses
- Male
- Physical Conditioning, Animal / physiology
- Prevalence
- Severity of Illness Index
Citations
This article has been cited 17 times.- Piotrowski IL, Junge HK, Schwarzwald CC. Evaluation of the Audicor Acoustic Cardiography Device as a Diagnostic Tool in Horses with Mitral or Aortic Valve Insufficiency. Animals (Basel) 2024 Jan 21;14(2).
- Lo Feudo CM, Stucchi L, Stancari G, Conturba B, Bozzola C, Zucca E, Ferrucci F. Associations between Medical Disorders and Racing Outcomes in Poorly Performing Standardbred Trotter Racehorses: A Retrospective Study. Animals (Basel) 2023 Aug 9;13(16).
- Khalesi H, Sakha M, Veshkini A, Rezakhani A. Assessing the cardiac valves conditions in athletic horses with poor performance. Vet Res Forum 2022 Sep;13(3):423-429.
- Jong MV, Leegwater PAJ, Fieten H, Szatmári V. Prevalence of Echocardiographic Evidence of Trace Mitral and Aortic Valve Regurgitation in 50 Clinically Healthy, Young Adult Labrador Retrievers without Heart Murmur. Animals (Basel) 2022 Sep 16;12(18).
- Restan AZ, Camacho AA, Zacché E, Canola RAM, Silva SBG, Braz JB, Silva-Filho JCD, Cerqueira JA, Loureiro BA, Funnicelli MIG, Pinheiro DG, Ferraz GC. Conditioning Program Prescribed from the External Training Load Corresponding to the Lactate Threshold Improved Cardiac Function in Healthy Dogs. Animals (Basel) 2021 Dec 30;12(1).
- Hövener J, Pokar J, Merle R, Gehlen H. Association between Cardiac Auscultation and Echocardiographic Findings in Warmblood Horses. Animals (Basel) 2021 Dec 5;11(12).
- Gehlen H, Fisch J, Merle R, Trachsel DS. Preliminary study on the effects of pergolide on left ventricular function in the horses with pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction. J Vet Sci 2021 Sep;22(5):e64.
- Alberti E, Stucchi L, Lo Feudo CM, Stancari G, Conturba B, Ferrucci F, Zucca E. Evaluation of Cardiac Arrhythmias before, during, and after Treadmill Exercise Testing in Poorly Performing Standardbred Racehorses. Animals (Basel) 2021 Aug 16;11(8).
- Berthoud D, Schwarzwald CC. Echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular size and systolic function in Warmblood horses using linear measurements, area-based indices, and volume estimates: A retrospective database analysis. J Vet Intern Med 2021 Jan;35(1):504-520.
- Decloedt A, Ven S, De Clercq D, Rademakers F, van Loon G. Assessment of left ventricular function in horses with aortic regurgitation by 2D speckle tracking. BMC Vet Res 2020 Mar 20;16(1):93.
- Boegli J, Schwarzwald CC, Mitchell KJ. Diagnostic value of noninvasive pulse pressure measurements in Warmblood horses with aortic regurgitation. J Vet Intern Med 2019 May;33(3):1446-1455.
- Gunther-Harrington CT, Arthur R, Estell K, Martinez Lopez B, Sinnott A, Ontiveros E, Varga A, Stern JA. Prospective pre- and post-race evaluation of biochemical, electrophysiologic, and echocardiographic indices in 30 racing thoroughbred horses that received furosemide. BMC Vet Res 2018 Jan 18;14(1):18.
- Koenig TR, Mitchell KJ, Schwarzwald CC. Echocardiographic Assessment of Left Ventricular Function in Healthy Horses and in Horses with Heart Disease Using Pulsed-Wave Tissue Doppler Imaging. J Vet Intern Med 2017 Mar;31(2):556-567.
- Trachsel DS, Giraudet A, Maso D, Hervé G, Hauri DD, Barrey E, Robert C. Relationships between body dimensions, body weight, age, gender, breed and echocardiographic dimensions in young endurance horses. BMC Vet Res 2016 Oct 10;12(1):226.
- Huesler IM, Mitchell KJ, Schwarzwald CC. Echocardiographic Assessment of Left Atrial Size and Function in Warmblood Horses: Reference Intervals, Allometric Scaling, and Agreement of Different Echocardiographic Variables. J Vet Intern Med 2016 Jul;30(4):1241-52.
- 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.
- Reef VB, Bonagura J, Buhl R, McGurrin MK, Schwarzwald CC, van Loon G, Young LE. Recommendations for management of equine athletes with cardiovascular abnormalities. J Vet Intern Med 2014 May-Jun;28(3):749-61.
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