The Most Common Environmental Risk Factors for Equine Asthma-A Narrative Review.

Summary

# Editorial Summary: Environmental Risk Factors in Equine Asthma Equine asthma remains a significant welfare concern with poorly understood environmental contributors to disease development and progression. Mańkowska and Witkowska conducted a narrative review of peer-reviewed literature from 2000 onwards to synthesise current understanding of terminology, clinical presentation, and modifiable environmental factors associated with equine asthma. The evidence demonstrates that environmental variables—including bedding composition, forage dust content, ammonia concentrations, and air quality—substantially influence both disease severity and treatment responsiveness, with implications for stable management protocols. For practitioners managing asthmatic horses, this review underscores the importance of systematically controlling environmental stressors as a complementary strategy to pharmacological interventions, potentially improving prognosis and quality of life. Horse owners and veterinarians can use these findings to implement targeted environmental modifications that may reduce clinical exacerbations and support long-term airway health alongside conventional therapeutic approaches.

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Key Findings

• •Environmental factors significantly influence the development and severity of equine asthma symptoms
• •Control of environmental risk factors is essential to improve treatment outcomes in asthmatic horses
• •Systematic review of post-2000 literature identifies key environmental contributors to equine asthma that warrant management attention

Conditions Studied

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