Co-Occurrence of Severe Equine Asthma and Palatal Disorders in Privately Owned Pleasure Horses.
Authors: Kozłowska Natalia, Wierzbicka Małgorzata, Pawliński Bartosz, Domino Małgorzata
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Co-Occurrence of Severe Equine Asthma and Palatal Disorders The unified airway disease theory posits that upper and lower airway pathologies share common aetiologies and frequently develop concurrently, yet limited clinical evidence exists regarding the co-occurrence of palatal disorders (PDs) and severe equine asthma (SEA) in horses. Researchers evaluated 46 privately owned pleasure horses presenting with acute SEA exacerbation, assessing asthma severity via standardised scoring and investigating PDs through overground endoscopy before and after treatment. During exacerbation, two-thirds of SEA-affected horses exhibited concurrent PDs—specifically palatal instability in 39.1% and dorsal displacement of the soft palate in 28.3%—with notably elevated neutrophil counts in tracheal and bronchoalveolar lavage samples from horses showing both conditions. Following successful asthma treatment and remission, palatal instability resolved entirely whilst dorsal displacement persisted in only 8.7% of cases, suggesting that secondary palatal dysfunction may develop secondary to severe lower airway inflammation. These findings strengthen the unified airway disease model and indicate that practitioners should consider the airways as an integrated system; managing lower airway inflammation through appropriate asthma treatment protocols may resolve associated upper airway abnormalities without requiring independent palatal intervention.
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Practical Takeaways
- •When investigating a horse with severe asthma, routinely assess for concurrent upper airway disorders using overground endoscopy, as nearly 70% of SEA cases involve palatal dysfunction
- •Some palatal disorders (particularly palatal instability) may resolve with effective asthma treatment alone, without requiring separate surgical intervention—prioritize treating the underlying inflammatory disease
- •Monitor airway inflammation markers in horses with both SEA and palatal disorders, as concurrent disease appears to worsen lower airway pathology
Key Findings
- •67.4% of SEA-affected horses showed evidence of palatal disorders before treatment, comprising 39.1% with palatal instability and 28.3% with dorsal displacement of the soft palate
- •Horses with co-occurring palatal disorders demonstrated worse airway inflammation compared to those without palatal involvement
- •After asthma treatment and remission, palatal instability resolved in all cases while DDSP persisted in only 8.7% of horses, suggesting response to asthma therapy
- •The high prevalence of palatal disorders in SEA-affected horses supports the unified airway disease theory, indicating both conditions may represent manifestations of a common underlying disorder