A one-health lens offers new perspectives on the importance of endocrine disorders in the equine athlete
Endocrine disorders are associated with joint pain and tendon injury in humans, but the effects in the horse are only starting to be understood. Similar patterns of clinical signs and injury appear to affect horses and humans for both orthopedic and endocrine disorders, supporting the use of a one-health approach to tackle these issues.
In this article, published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association in January 2023, researchers discuss common equine endocrinopathies, current testing recommendations, dietary management, genetic predispositions and endocrine disorders' effects on performance. The team’s aim is to use a one-health lens to describe current comparative research so that veterinarians can employ cutting-edge preventative, diagnostic and therapeutic recommendations.
Identified key gaps in knowledge include whether equine metabolic osteoarthritis exists, if steroid joint injections are safe in horses with endocrine disorders and if the return to performance percentage improves with concurrent treatment of endocrine and musculoskeletal disorders.
Key takeaways include that the relationship between endocrine disorders and musculoskeletal disease in the horse goes beyond laminitis to include lameness, muscle atrophy, suspensory ligament degeneration, osteochondritis dissecans, and potentially metabolic osteoarthritis. Approaches learned from human and equine comparative studies can offer insight into injury recognition and management, thus mitigating the impact of endocrine disorders on performance in both species.
Readers interested in an in-depth description of current and future research involving pathophysiology, novel interventions, and multi-omic approaches to identify individuals with athletic limitations induced by endocrine disorders are invited to read the companion article by Manfredi et al, AJVR, February 2023.
Jane M Manfredi, Sarah Jacob and Elaine Norton. "A one-health lens offers new perspectives on the importance of endocrine disorders in the equine athlete." JAVMA. 2 January 2023. Volume 261: Issue 2. https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.22.11.0485
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