Postmortemfindings of gastric ulcers in Swedish horses older than age one year: a retrospective study of 3715 horses (1924–1996)

Abstract

The present study was performed to estimate retrospectively the prevalence of gastric ulceration in necropsied Swedish horses and to evaluate some potential risk factors. Horses (n = 3715) older than age one year and necropsied 1924-1996 were included. Information about breed, gender, age, season of death, clinical signs of colic, Gasterophilus larvae and documentation of diseases in different organs was recorded. Data on size, number and anatomical distribution of gastric ulcers were also obtained. The cold-blooded horses and the Standardbreds were the 2 most dominating breeds in our material. Gastric ulcers/erosions were seen in 633 (17%) of the horses. The highest prevalence was found in Thoroughbreds (19%) and Standardbreds (19%), whereas only 7% of the cold-blooded horses were affected. The cutaneous region along the margo plicatus was the most commonly affected area (52%). Multiple ulcers were seen in 62% of the horses with gastric ulcers and concurrent ulcers in the oesophagus were reported in 6%. In the bivariate analysis, significant associations were found between gastric ulcers and signs of colic (P<0.001) and gender (P<0.001), as well as between concomitant bowel (P<0.001), liver (P<0.05) and oesophageal (P<0.01) lesions. Using a multivariate logistic regression model, only year of necropsy and breed were found significantly to influence the risk of gastric ulceration by decreasing the Log Likelihood test value. The present study shows clearly that gastric ulceration has been present in Swedish horses throughout the 20th century, which also may be the situation worldwide.

Necropsy survey of gastric ulcers in a population of aged donkeys: prevalence, lesion description and risk factors

“…Gastric ulceration was shown to be present in all areas of the donkey stomach; however, as is the case in horses, the margo plicatus was the most commonly affected region (McAllister et al, 1997;Sandin et al, 2000;Begg and O'Sullivan, 2003). Interestingly, the ulcers seen appear to be larger in the surface area, with the majority being 2 to 10 cm 2 , than those seen in previous studies in horses where the majority of ulcers seen were less than 1 cm 2 (Sandin et al, 2000).…”

“…Interestingly, the ulcers seen appear to be larger in the surface area, with the majority being 2 to 10 cm 2 , than those seen in previous studies in horses where the majority of ulcers seen were less than 1 cm 2 (Sandin et al, 2000). This may be due to the animals' advanced age and concurrent health problems or perhaps their ability to mask or cope with the pain associated with pronounced ulceration compared with horses.…”

“…The administration of NSAIDs has been hypothesised as a potential risk factor for gastric ulceration in previous studies; however, this study agrees with many other studies in equids (Vatistas et al, 1999;Sandin et al, 2000) and shows that the frequency of this condition in donkeys receiving NSAID treatments when compared with donkeys receiving no treatment was not significantly different. When the location of ulcers was studied, there was also no increased risk of glandular ulceration when donkeys received NSAIDs, as has been suggested in previous studies (Murray, 1991).…”

Estudo gastroscópico em eqüinos adultos com suspeita de ulceração gástrica

“…Outros tipos de estresse citados na literatura (Furr et al, 1992;Murray, 1989;Murray, 1994;Murray, 1997;Murray, Eichorn, 1996;Sandin et al, 2000) também puderam ser relacionados com o aparecimento de úlceras neste trabalho: alteração brusca de manejo, enfermidades intercorrentes e competições.…”

“…Embora não se saiba qual seu mecanismo exato de formação, várias causas já foram implicadas na etiopatogenia do processo: estresse, intensidade e tipo de trabalho, estabulação, regime alimentar, comportamento, enfermidades concomitantes e uso de antiinflamatórios não-esteroidais (AINEs) (Murray, 1989; Murray, 1994; Murray, 1997; Rose, Hodgson, 1995;Sandin et al, 2000).…”