Incidence of swallowing during exercise in horses with dorsal displacement of the soft palate.
Abstract: The relationship between dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP) and swallowing is unclear. Objective: To quantify the relationship between DDSP and swallowing in horses at exercise. Objective: The frequency of swallowing increases immediately prior to DDSP in horses at exercise. Methods: Videoendoscopic and upper airway pressure data were collated from horses with a definitive diagnosis of DDSP at exercise. Horses with no upper airway abnormalities were matched by age, breed and sex and used as controls. Sixty-nine horses were identified with a definitive diagnosis of DDSP during the study interval. Airway pressure data were available for 42 horses. Results: The majority of horses displaced at high exercising speeds while accelerating; a smaller number displaced during deceleration after peak speed had been reached. Horses swallowed significantly more frequently in the 1 min immediately preceding DDSP than in the control horses at equivalent speeds. DDSP at exercise results in a significant increase in tracheal expiratory pressure, a significant decrease in pharyngeal expiratory pressure and a significantly less negative pharyngeal inspiratory pressure compared to matched controls and compared to the pressures during the 1 min interval prior to DDSP. There was no significant difference between any measure of airway pressure before or after a swallow when examined at each time interval in the DDSP population. Conclusions: The frequency of swallowing decreases with increasing speed in normal horses. In contrast, the frequency of swallowing increases immediately prior to onset of DDSP. This is not a result of pharyngeal and tracheal pressure changes. Conclusions: The increased frequency of swallowing observed prior to DDSP may be related to the aetiology of the disease.
© 2010 EVJ Ltd.
Publication Date: 2010-11-03 PubMed ID: 21039804DOI: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.2010.00116.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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The study examines the incidence of swallowing in horses with dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP) during exercise. The results showed an increase in swallowing frequency prior to onset of DDSP, suggesting that the condition might be related to it.
Objective and Methodology
The main objective of this research was to investigate the correlation between swallowing and DDSP in exercising horses. The hypothesis was that the frequency of swallowing significantly increases just before DDSP occurs.
Pertaining to the methodology, horses diagnosed with DDSP were selected as the subject. To establish a fair comparison, a control group of horses with no upper airway abnormalities was selected, matching in aspects of age, breed, and sex. Overall, sixty-nine horses with a diagnosed DDSP were identified. Airway pressure data was available for 42 horses.
Results and Findings
The results revealed that:
- Most horses faced displacement at high exercising speeds, particularly when accelerating. Few faced displacement while decelerating after reaching peak speed.
- DDSP-affected horses swallowed more frequently in the minute immediately preceding DDSP occurrence compared to control horses at similar speeds.
- DDSP during exercise resulted in significant increase in tracheal expiratory pressure, a significant decrease in pharyngeal expiratory pressure and a significantly less negative pharyngeal inspiratory pressure compared to the pressures during the minute prior to DDSP and to the matched controls.
- There was no significant difference between any measure of airway pressure before or after a swallow when examined at each time interval in the DDSP population.
Conclusions
The concluding observations from this research are twofold:
- Regular horses experience a decrease in swallowing frequency as they increase speed. In contrast, horses with DDSP have an increased frequency of swallowing just before the onset of DDSP, regardless of the speed they’re at.
- This increased frequency observed is not a result of alterations in pharyngeal and tracheal pressure. This leads the researchers to theorize that this increased frequency of swallowing could be linked to the cause (aetiology) of DDSP.
Cite This Article
APA
Pigott JH, Ducharme NG, Mitchell LM, Soderholm LV, Cheetham J.
(2010).
Incidence of swallowing during exercise in horses with dorsal displacement of the soft palate.
Equine Vet J, 42(8), 732-737.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2042-3306.2010.00116.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Cornell University, NY, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Airway Obstruction / veterinary
- Airway Resistance / physiology
- Animals
- Deglutition / physiology
- Endoscopy / veterinary
- Female
- Horse Diseases / pathology
- Horse Diseases / physiopathology
- Horses
- Male
- Palate, Soft / abnormalities
- Palate, Soft / pathology
- Physical Exertion / physiology
- Videotape Recording
Citations
This article has been cited 3 times.- Kozłowska N, Wierzbicka M, Pawliński B, Domino M. Co-Occurrence of Severe Equine Asthma and Palatal Disorders in Privately Owned Pleasure Horses. Animals (Basel) 2023 Jun 12;13(12).
- Cercone M, Olsen E, Perkins JD, Cheetham J, Mitchell LM, Ducharme NG. Investigation into pathophysiology of naturally occurring palatal instability and intermittent dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP) in racehorses: Thyro-hyoid muscles fatigue during exercise. PLoS One 2019;14(10):e0224524.
- Hunt S, Kuo J, Aristizabal FA, Brown M, Patwardhan A, Hedman T. Soft Palate Modification Using a Collagen Crosslinking Reagent for Equine Dorsal Displacement of the Soft Palate and Other Upper Airway Breathing Disorders. Int J Biomater 2019;2019:9310890.
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