What’s in a name? Inflammatory airway disease in racehorses in training.
Abstract: The term 'inflammatory airway disease' (IAD) is often used to describe the syndrome of lower airway inflammation that frequently affects young racehorses in training around the world. In practice, this inflammation is generally diagnosed using a combination of endoscopic tracheal examination, including grading of amounts of mucus present and tracheal wash sampling. However, a recent consensus statement from the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine concluded that bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) sampling, rather than tracheal wash (TW) sampling, is required for cytological diagnosis of IAD and that tracheal mucus is not an essential criterion. However, as BAL is a relatively invasive procedure that is not commonly used on racing yards, this definition can only be applied routinely to a biased referral population. In contrast, many practitioners continue to diagnose IAD using endoscopic tracheal examination and sampling. We argue that, rather than restricting the use of the term IAD to phenotypes diagnosed by BAL, it is important to distinguish in the literature between airway inflammation diagnosed by BAL and that identified in the field using TW sampling. We suggest the use of the term brIAD for the former and trIAD for the latter. It is essential that we continue to endeavour to improve our understanding of the aetiology, pathogenesis and clinical relevance of airway inflammation identified in racehorses in training using tracheal examination and sampling. Future studies should focus on investigations of the component signs of airway inflammation.
© 2011 EVJ Ltd.
Publication Date: 2011-06-13 PubMed ID: 21668488DOI: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.2010.00339.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Bronchoalveolar Lavage
- Clinical Examination
- Diagnosis
- Diagnostic Technique
- Disease Diagnosis
- Disease Etiology
- Endoscopy
- Equine Diseases
- Equine Health
- Horses
- Inflammation
- Inflammatory Response
- Lung Health
- Pathogenesis
- Pathology
- Racehorses
- Respiratory Disease
- Trachea
- Veterinary Medicine
- Veterinary Practice
- Veterinary Research
Summary
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The research highlights the need for distinguishing between types of inflammatory airway disease in racehorses. It suggests the need for different terms for conditions diagnosed using the bronchioalveolar lavage (BAL) method, instead of the common tracheal wash (TW) sampling.
Background on Inflammatory Airway Disease (IAD)
- IAD is the term typically used to describe a syndrome of lower airway inflammation seen frequently in globally trained, young racehorses.
- Diagnosis usually combines an endoscopic tracheal examination along with a mucus grading system and sampling via tracheal washes (TW).
Ongoing Debate about Diagnostic Methods
- The American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine suggests that bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) sampling should be used for diagnosing IAD, instead of tracheal wash (TW) sampling.
- They conclude that tracheal mucus is not a vital criterion for determining IAD.
- BAL is a somewhat invasive procedure not commonly used on racing yards, meaning its definition would only regularly apply to a biased, selected population.
- Conversely, many practitioners maintain diagnosing IAD through endoscopic tracheal exams and sampling.
Proposed Terms
- The authors advocate for the use of different terms for IAD depending on the method of diagnosis – trIAD to denote the disease diagnosed using TW sampling, brIAD for the disease diagnosed using BAL sampling.
- This division will help to distinguish between the various types of inflammation marked by either procedure.
Future Avenues for Studies
- There is a need to enhance the understanding of the causes, pathogenesis, clinical significance of airway inflammation diagnosed through tracheal examination and sampling among racehorses in training.
- Additionally, more in-depth research should be done regarding the individual signs of airway inflammation.
Cite This Article
APA
Cardwell JM, Christley RM, Gerber V, Malikides N, Wood JL, Newton JR, Hodgson JL.
(2011).
What’s in a name? Inflammatory airway disease in racehorses in training.
Equine Vet J, 43(6), 756-758.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2042-3306.2010.00339.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Royal Veterinary College, Herts, UK. jcardwell@rvc.ac.uk
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid
- Horse Diseases / classification
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Horses
- Inflammation / classification
- Inflammation / diagnosis
- Inflammation / veterinary
- Physical Conditioning, Animal
- Respiratory Tract Diseases / classification
- Respiratory Tract Diseases / diagnosis
- Respiratory Tract Diseases / veterinary
- Terminology as Topic
Citations
This article has been cited 2 times.- Ivester KM, Couëtil LL, Moore GE, Zimmerman NJ, Raskin RE. Environmental exposures and airway inflammation in young thoroughbred horses. J Vet Intern Med 2014 May-Jun;28(3):918-24.
- Leite RO, Albertino LG, Sperandio LMS, Campos F, Campos R, Borges AS, Oliveira-Filho JP. Evaluation of variants in the ENTPD1 and ENTPD2 genes in athletic horses with exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage. BMC Vet Res 2024 Aug 6;20(1):346.
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