Assessing cardiac valve conditions in athletic horses with poor performance
Heart murmurs and valvular regurgitation are common in horses and often have no effect on their performance. However, when structural changes occur in heart size, it can affect performance adversely. This study aimed to examine the correlation between cardiac valves disease and poor performance in athletic horses.
In this study, researchers included 300 athletic thoroughbred and mix-breed horses including 164 mares and 136 stallions with a history of poor performance. Horses with cardiac murmurs were identified and the team conducted additional cardiac examination including precise auscultation, base-apex electrocardiogram for possible dysrhythmias at rest and after exercise, echocardiographic and hematological tests in two stages. The first was at admission time and the second examination was done four to six months later to evaluate the outcome of the possible disorders.
Results showed that respiratory system and musculoskeletal diseases were diagnosed respectively in 93 and 149 out of 300 examined horses and 36 horses showed heart murmur without any other complications. Echocardiography was performed on horses with heart murmur and 25 of them showed regurgitation of the cardiac valve.
During the first examination, the team diagnosed seven horses with regurgitation and changes in the size of cardiac chambers, whereas this number increased to 25 during the second examination. There was no significant relationship between the degree of murmur and severity of regurgitant jet in horses.
Researchers concluded that valvular regurgitation could affect performance when causing changes in the size of the cardiac chambers, which can consequently jeopardize the athletic future of the horse.
Hossein Khalesi, et al. “Assessing the cardiac valves conditions in athletic horses with poor performance.” Vet Res Forum. 2022 Sep;13(3):423-429. doi: 10.30466/vrf.2021.130366.2997.
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