Retrospective study of recurrent airway obstruction (rao) in horses: 26 cases (1997-2004)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35172/rvz.2006.v13.265Keywords:
Recurrent airway obstruction, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, equineAbstract
A retrospective study was done from 26 horses with recurrent airway obstruction (RAO),
which were clinically examined at Veterinary Hospital of Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária
e Zootecnia da Universidade de São Paulo, from December of 1997 to November of 2004.
During this period, it was attended 3101 animals (horses, donkeys, mules and burros); in
which 182 of them showed respiratory disorders (5.9%) and the occurrences of equine RAO
were 0.8% of total equid cases. The majority of RAO horses (96.1%) were older than five
years. All horses were exposed to indoors, which 76.9% of cases had the duration of disease
longer than three months. The occurrence of RAO in horses did not have any season
influence. Chronic coughing was the most common historical complaint in horses with RAO,
which was reported in 100% of them. Dyspnea, exercise intolerance and nasal discharge were
also found as indicators of RAO cases in 88.4%, 61.5% and 60.5% of the horses, respectively.
Abnormal lung sounds and increased respiratory rates were the frequently detected findings
on physical examination in 88.4% and 69.2% RAO horses, respectively. A percentage of 78.5
of 14 horses examined by endoscopy with RAO had excess volumes of respiratory secretions
in their trachea and the maximal intrapleural pressure changes were raised in 71.4% of these
horses. Most of 21 RAO cases (85.7%) examined with tracheobronchial wash cytology had
elevated neutrophils counts and it was the most sensitive clinical indicator of pulmonary
inflammation.
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