Equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction: current understanding and recommendations from the Australian and New Zealand Equine Endocrine Group

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to provide a review of the current knowledge and opinions about the epidemiology, clinical findings (including sequelae), diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction, particularly in the Australian context. This information and the recommendations provided will assist practitioners in making informed decisions regarding the diagnosis and management of this disorder.

Recommendations from the Australian and New Zealand Equine Endocrine Group and the interpretation of plasma endogenous ACTH concentrations for the diagnosis of pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID)

“…The cut‐off of 29.7 pg/mL with 80% sensitivity and 83% specificity in the non‐autumn period was below the lower limit of the grey zone (40–70 or 80 pg/mL) published in the new recommendations . This is the most robust data we have to date for the optimal cut‐off for ACTH in horses, represented schematically in Figure .…”

“…I read with interest the new open access publication entitled Equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction: current understanding and recommendations from the Australian and New Zealand Equine Endocrine Group that was published online on 3 June 2018 . The authors are to be congratulated on providing an Australian slant on the recent Equine Endocrinology Group recommendations and some recent data from Australia .…”

“…The next problem is that the endocrinology group have added a grey zone above this upper limit in an apparently similar way to the group from the USA (Figure ).…”

In this issue – July 2018: Recommendations on equine PPID · Prevalence of alphaviruses in horses in North Queensland · Endoscopic transection of uterine tube bands in mares · Radiography vs CT in osteomyelitis in foals · Transmission of BVDV to alpacas · Dietary pH balance in cows with milk fever

“…A multicentre team gives recommendations on the diagnosis and treatment of equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID), based on current evidence and the opinions of the authors.…”

Re: Recommendations from the Australian and New Zealand Equine Endocrine Group and the interpretation of plasma endogenous ACTH concentrations for the diagnosis of pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID)

“…We believe that we considered all relevant information in order to recommend clinical decision limits specific to the Australian context . There is wide debate over the validity of the different methodologies to determine cut‐offs and each method has its own merits.…”