Alpha-2 Macroglobulin for the Management of Equine Asthma- Summary Results of a Pilot Study
Equine asthma (EA) is a chronic respiratory disease of adult horses that results from exposure to airborne environmental allergens in susceptible horses. The role of infectious agents remains subject to debate.1 The disease is characterized by an inflammatory response in the airways leading to mucous accumulation and bronchial constriction, leading to clinical signs that include coughing, nasal discharge, increased respiratory effort, and decreased performance/exercise intolerance.1,2 While a complete discussion of equine asthma is beyond the scope of this document, it should be remembered that equine asthma is a highly prevalent equine respiratory disease that can significantly impact both horse’s quality of life and can be the cause of poor performance/exercise intolerance. Equine asthma is divided into two categories based on severity: mild-moderate equine asthma or inflammatory airway disease (IAD) and severe equine asthma or recurrent airway obstruction (RAO). Inflammatory airway disease can affect horses of any age and results in clinical signs less severe than recurrent airway obstruction, which most often affects horses over 7 years old.1,3,4 Equine asthma is a highly prevalent disease: IAD may affect 68-80% of horses based on bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and RAO may affect 14-17% of horses.5,6
