A retrospective study of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid analysis in barrel racing horses with exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage and asthma in Texas from 2016 to 2018.

Abstract

Exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH) and asthma in barrel racing horses is a common disease across the United States. Limited information is available on non-infectious respiratory diseases in this population, the interaction between these two diseases, and the occurrence of both EIPH and asthma in the horse. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid cytological results of barrel racing horses with EIPH, asthma, or both. A retrospective study was conducted using the medical records of horses that presented with cough and decreased athletic performance and BAL results that met the criteria for inclusion. Data from 95 horses were included from a private practice referral hospital in Texas. No statistical difference was found in the frequency of neutrophilia, eosinophilia, or mastocytosis between diagnoses of EIPH, asthma, or concurrent diagnoses of EIPH and asthma. Bronchoalveolar lavage of horses suspected of EIPH is warranted to fully characterize the noninfectious respiratory disease of barrel racing horses.