Inflammatory Airway Disease of Horses

BackgroundSystemic inflammation is observed in horses with heaves and could also be present in horses with a lesser degree of pulmonary inflammation.Hypothesis/ObjectivesIt was hypothesized that racehorses with inflammatory airway disease (IAD) have increased concentration of circulating acute phase proteins. The objective of this study was to compare serum acute phase proteins of racehorses with and without lower airway inflammation.AnimalsSerum from 21 client‐owned Standardbred racehorses with exercise intolerance and lower airway inflammation and serum from 10 client‐owned Standardbred racehorses with exercise intolerance without lower airway inflammation.MethodsIn a case–control study, serum samples from previously characterized horses presented for exercise intolerance with or without lower airway inflammation based on bronchoalveolar lavage fluid cytology were analyzed for serum amyloid A protein (SAA), C‐reactive protein (CRP), and haptoglobin using commercial ELISAs.ResultsThere was no significant differences between groups for SAA (non‐IAD versus IAD, median (range): 3.47 (0.06–34.94) versus 6.33 (0.06–80) μg/mL, P = .49), CRP (10.87 (2.05–29.03) versus 4.63 (0.02–31.81) μg/mL, P = .23) or haptoglobin (900.36 (607.99–2018.84) versus 749.54 (530.81–1076.95) μg/mL, P = .09).Conclusions and Clinical ImportanceIn this population of poorly performing racehorses in training, serum SAA, CRP, and haptoglobin were not helpful in distinguishing between horses with IAD from horses with exercise intolerance from other causes.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 65%

Acute Phase Proteins in Racehorses with Inflammatory Airway Disease

Leclère

Lavoie‐Lamoureux

Lavoie

2015

“…Horses with heaves, including those with recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) and summer pasture‐associated RAO, exhibit marked lower airway inflammation and obstruction associated with frequent coughing, increased respiratory effort at rest and exercise intolerance 1, 2, 3. Clinical signs and airway obstruction can be reversed by administration of corticosteroids, bronchodilators, or changing the environment 4, 5, 6.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Inflammatory Airway Disease of Horses—Revised Consensus Statement

Couëtil

Cardwell

Gerber

et al. 2016

338

662

“…Hypersensitivity disorders are important in horses, with recurrent airway obstruction (RAO), insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH), and urticaria (URT) among the most frequently observed 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. In other species, including humans, dogs, and cats, a combined occurrence of multiple hypersensitivities (MHS) affecting different organ systems has been described.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiple Hypersensitivities Including Recurrent Airway Obstruction, Insect Bite Hypersensitivity, and Urticaria in 2 Warmblood Horse Populations

Kehrli

Jandova

Fey

et al. 2014

BackgroundMultiple hypersensitivities (MHS) have been described in humans, cats, and dogs, but not horses.HypothesesHorses suffering from recurrent airway obstruction (RAO), insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH), or urticaria (URT) will have an increased risk of also being affected by another one of these hypersensitivities. This predisposition for MHS also will be associated with decreased shedding of strongylid eggs in feces and with a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP BIEC2‐224511), previously shown to be associated with RAO.AnimalsThe first population (P1) included 119 randomly sampled horses representative of the Swiss sporthorse population; the replication population (P2) included 210 RAO‐affected Warmblood horses and 264 RAO‐unaffected controls. All horses were Warmbloods, 14 years or older.MethodsAssociations between disease phenotypes (RAO, IBH, URT, MHS) fecal egg counts, the SNP BIEC2‐224511 as well as management and environmental factors were investigated.ResultsIn P1, RAO‐affected horses had a 13.1 times higher odds ratio (OR) of also suffering from IBH (P = .004). In P2, the respective OR was 7.4 (P = .002) and IBH‐affected horses also showed a 7.1 times increased OR of concomitantly suffering from URT (P < .001). IBH, URT, and MHS phenotypes were significantly associated with the absence of nematode eggs in the feces.Conclusions and Clinical ImportanceThis is the first report of MHS in horses. Specifically, an increased risk for IBH should be expected in RAO‐affected horses.