Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Idiopathic immune-mediated polysynovitis in three horses.
- Journal:
- The Veterinary record
- Year:
- 2006
- Authors:
- Pusterla, N et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology · United States
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
This study looked at three horses diagnosed with a condition called immune-mediated polysynovitis, which causes inflammation in the joints. The horses had lost weight, had occasional fevers, seemed very tired, were stiff, and had swelling in multiple joints. Blood tests showed issues like low red blood cell counts and high levels of certain proteins. They were treated with medications called dexamethasone and azathioprine, and initially, they responded well. However, one horse needed to stay on azathioprine because its symptoms came back after stopping the medication, another horse was finishing a tapering dose of prednisolone, and the third horse was put to sleep due to an unrelated injury.
Abstract
This paper describes the clinical, laboratory and histological findings in three horses with immune-mediated polysynovitis; they had lost weight, suffered intermittent fever, were lethargic and stiff, and had effusions in several joints. Laboratory abnormalities included anaemia, leucocytosis, hyperfibrinogenaemia and hyperglobulinaemia. The diagnosis was based on the presence of a suppurative, non-septic inflammation in at least two different joints in each of the horses and the presence of immunoglobulins in the synovial membrane of one of them. The horses were treated with a combination of dexamethasone and azathioprine, and responded well to the initial treatment. Twenty months after its last re-evaluation, the first horse was being maintained on azathioprine because similar clinical signs had recurred after the cytotoxic drug was discontinued; the second horse was finishing a tapering course of prednisolone 15 months after its first examination, and the third horse was euthanased five months after it was first examined as a result of an unrelated injury.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16816155/