Is improved high speed performance following frusemide administration due to diuresis-induced weight loss or reduced severity of exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage?
Abstract: Prerace administration of frusemide to horses has been linked with a significant improvement in racing performance, but the basis for this improvement is unclear. Objective: To test whether improved performance with prerace administration of frusemide is due to the drug's diuresis-induced weight loss rather than its apparent alleviation of exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH). Methods: Eight thoroughbred horses underwent 3 trials in a random order, 2 or 3 weeks apart: control (C), frusemide/unburdened (FU), and frusemide/burdened (FB). None of the horses were known to have exhibited post-exercise epistaxis or endoscopic evidence of EIPH. Endoscope-guided bronchoalveolar lavages (BALs) were performed before and after each horse completed a standardised exercise test (SET) on an inclined treadmill to assess semi-quantitatively the volume of EIPH. For C, horses received an i.v. saline placebo injection (5 ml) and were unburdened while performing the SET. With FU, horses received frusemide (0.5 mg/kg) and were also unburdened. For FB, horses received frusemide and were burdened with weight equal to that lost during the 4 h post frusemide injection period. Erythrocyte number in BAL fluid, mass specific VO2max, time and distance for the entire SET as well as at maximum speed were recorded. A one-way repeated measures analysis of variance was conducted on all results. Results: Mass specific VO2max was significantly higher for the FU than for FB or C. Mass specific VO2max for FB and C were not different. More RBCs were found in BAL samples after C runs than after both FU and FB trial runs. Horses with the frusemide treatment (either burdened or unburdened) produced less EIPH than in the C trial, but their mass specific VO2max values were higher on the FU trial alone. For FU, horses ran longer at 115% VO2max than under C or FB conditions. Conclusions: Improvement of performance in the furosemide trials was due more to the weight-loss related effects of the drug than its apparent alleviation of EIPH. Further research is warranted with the same or similar project design, but with a larger sample size and with horses known to have more severe EIPH.
Publication Date: 2007-04-04 PubMed ID: 17402434DOI: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.2006.tb05555.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Randomized Controlled Trial
- Research Support
- N.I.H.
- Extramural
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The research investigated whether horses performed better when given frusemide because of diuresis-induced weight loss or because the drug helped alleviate exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage. Their findings indicated the performance improvement was more likely due to the weight-loss effects of the drug.
Objective
The researchers aimed to distinguish whether the performance improvement seen in horses administered frusemide before racing could be attributed to the drug’s effect on reducing body weight via diuresis or its role in mitigating Exercise-Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhage (EIPH).
Methodology
- Eight thoroughbred horses were selected for the study, none of whom had shown previous indicators of EIPH.
- The horses were subjected to three different scenarios, with each repeated after a gap of 2 or 3 weeks: a control scenario (C) where the horses were given a saline placebo and asked to perform an exercise test unburdened; a frusemide/unburdened scenario (FU), where horses were given frusemide and asked to perform the exercise test unburdened; and frusemide/burdened scenario (FB), where horses were given frusemide and then burdened with weight equal to that lost post the frusemide dose during the exercise test.
- Bronchoalveolar lavages (BALs) were conducted to examine the level of EIPH by measuring the count of red blood cells before and after exercise. Further, the maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max) was also calculated.
Findings
- The horses showed a significant higher performance, in terms of VO2max, in the FU scenario compared to both FB and C scenarios. There was no distinction in performance between FB and C scenarios.
- Both FU and FB trials had lower counts of red blood cells in BAL samples post run, indicating reduced EIPH, compared to the C trial.
- In the FU scenario, horses were able to run longer at maximum sustainable speed (115% VO2max) than in C or FB conditions.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the improvement in horse performance when administered frusemide was more likely due to the weight loss impact of the drug than its potential in reducing EIPH. The authors recommend more research into this topic, with a larger sample size and specifically horses known to exhibit severe EIPH.
Cite This Article
APA
Zawadzkas XA, Sides RH, Bayly WM.
(2007).
Is improved high speed performance following frusemide administration due to diuresis-induced weight loss or reduced severity of exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage?
Equine Vet J Suppl(36), 291-293.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2042-3306.2006.tb05555.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Analysis of Variance
- Animals
- Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / cytology
- Cross-Over Studies
- Diuretics / pharmacology
- Exercise Test / veterinary
- Female
- Furosemide / pharmacology
- Hemorrhage / pathology
- Hemorrhage / prevention & control
- Hemorrhage / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / pathology
- Horse Diseases / prevention & control
- Horses
- Lung Diseases / pathology
- Lung Diseases / prevention & control
- Lung Diseases / veterinary
- Male
- Oxygen Consumption
- Physical Conditioning, Animal / physiology
- Pulmonary Gas Exchange
- Severity of Illness Index
- Weight Loss
Citations
This article has been cited 2 times.- Poole DC, Erickson HH. Exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage: where are we now?. Vet Med (Auckl) 2016;7:133-148.
- Hinchcliff KW, Couetil LL, Knight PK, Morley PS, Robinson NE, Sweeney CR, van Erck E. Exercise induced pulmonary hemorrhage in horses: American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine consensus statement. J Vet Intern Med 2015 May-Jun;29(3):743-58.
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