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Intra‐articular triamcinolone acetonide improves lung function in horses with severe asthma
Author(s) -
Bessonnat A.,
Picotte K.,
Lavoie J. P.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
equine veterinary journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.82
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 2042-3306
pISSN - 0425-1644
DOI - 10.1111/evj.13128
Subject(s) - triamcinolone acetonide , medicine , horse , asthma , exacerbation , lung function , lung , pulmonary function testing , corticosteroid , dexamethasone , gastroenterology , anesthesia , surgery , biology , paleontology
Summary Background Locally administered corticosteroids are commonly used to treat joint diseases in sport and racehorses. As they are also the most potent drugs for the treatment of equine asthma, we hypothesised that the intra‐articular corticosteroids used to treat joint diseases also improve the lung function in horses with severe asthma, thus potentially delaying the diagnosis of this common lung condition. Objectives To compare the effects of intra‐articular (IA) and intramuscular (IM) triamcinolone acetonide (TA) on lung function in horses with severe asthma. Study design Randomised and controlled experiment on asthma‐prone research animals. Methods Horses with severe asthma in clinical exacerbation were given either 20 mg of TA in both tarsocrural joints (n = 5; 40 mg/horse) or 40 mg of TA intramuscularly (n = 5). Lung function and TA serum concentrations were measured weekly for 35 days. TA serum concentrations were also evaluated on day 3. Results The pulmonary resistance (R L ) and elastance (E L ) values decreased by day 7 in the IA group (P<0.0001 and P = 0.003, respectively) and by day 14 in the IM group (P = 0.002 and 0.03, respectively). Lung function was improved up to days 21 and 28 in the IA and IM groups, respectively, when compared with baseline. TA serum levels were below the quantification limit (100 pg/ml) for 4 and 3 of the 5 horses in the IA and IM groups, respectively, on day 7. The area under the curve for R L , E L and the serum concentrations of TA were similar in both groups. Main limitations The response of horses with severe asthma might differ from that of high‐performance horses with mild/moderate asthma. Conclusions Intra‐articular administration of TA improves lung function in horses with severe asthma, an effect that persists when TA serum concentration is below the quantification level that is employed as a threshold by the International Association of Racing Commissioners.