The effect of prednisolone and isoflupredone on the bronchoalveolar lavage, airway inflammation and clinical score in horses with Inflammatory Airway Disease.

Abstract

Inflammatory Airway Disease is characterized by a mild, non-septic inflammation of the lower airways in the horse. Many horses are affected but the clinical symptoms at rest are subtle to absent. During exercise a decrease in performance is an important problem due to Inflammatory Airway Disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of prednisolone and isoflupredone on the Bronchoalveolar Lavage (BAL) and clinical signs in horses with Inflammatory Airway Disease. The hypotheses were that prednisolone (oral administration) and isoflupredone (intramuscular) are effective in decreasing the percentage of inflammatory cells in the lower airways, decreasing the macroscopic inflammation of the upper and lower airways and improving the clinical signs in horses with IAD. We did a-cross over randomized study, using 7 horses. The horses received both drugs for 16 following days with a wash-out period in between. Before and after treatment a BAL was performed. The clinical scoring was done by longing the horses and scoring of coughing, sneezing, respiratory effort, nostril flaring and respiratory rate. The steroids had no significant effect on BAL results, macroscopic inflammation of the upper and lower airways and on clinical scoring.