Pathomorphological study on gastroduodenal ulceration in horses: localisation of lesions.

This research study aimed to determine the prevalence of gastroduodenal ulceration, a common disease in both foals and adult horses, via postmortem examinations. In addition, it evaluated the localisation of these ulcers in the upper part of the horse’s gastrointestinal tract and uncovered that these ulcers are prevalent but not associated with factors such as age and sex of the horses.

Objective and Methodology

• The main goal of the study was to determine how frequently horses have gastric ulcers with data gathered through postmortem examination.
• The relationship between the development of equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS), age, sex and the localisation of the resultant lesions were also evaluated within the scope of this study.
• In addition, there was an evaluation for the presence of gastric parasites in the test subjects.
• The study was conducted on 71 horses over a span of 24 months.

Findings

• The study found that more than 73% of the horses examined had gastric ulcers.
• However, there was no discernible pattern linking the presence of these ulcers with the age or sex of the horses, indicating that all horses, regardless of these factors, are equally susceptible to developing gastric ulcers.
• The most frequent location for lesions was identified as being near the margo plicatus, an anatomical ridge in the horse’s stomach that separates two types of stomach lining. All horses with ulcers had lesions in this region.
• Lesions also occurred near the lesser curvature in some horses and at the greater curvature in a few. A few horses had lesions spread to the mucus lining the stomach.
• Few horses had lesions in the glandular mucosa, the stomach lining that secretes acid, that were diffusely spread or localised to the fundus or the pylorus.
• The study also saw a low prevalence of Gasterophilus intestinalis infection- a species of botfly whose larvae are parasite to the horse’s stomach.

Conclusions

• The research confirms the common occurrence of gastric ulcers in horses, with duodenal or oesophagus ulcers being rare.
• The study suggests higher occurrence of lesions in the glandular mucosa in suckling foals compared to older horses.
• In conclusion, the researchers recommend a complete gastroscopic examination, including pylorus examination, to effectively evaluate EGUS in horses.