Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Horse with malabsorption due to lymphosarcoma - what to know
By Roberts, M C & Pinsent, P J·Published in Equine veterinary journal·1975·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Malabsorption in the horse associated with alimentary lymphosarcoma.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
Three horses were found to have malabsorption, which means they were not able to properly absorb nutrients from their food, due to a type of cancer called alimentary lymphosarcoma that mainly affected their small intestines and nearby lymph nodes. In two of the horses, the cancer caused significant changes in the structure of the intestines, reducing the area available for nutrient absorption and leading to low levels of certain enzymes needed for digestion. One horse still had a strong appetite and did not have diarrhea, but it was not gaining weight, suggesting that it was having trouble using the energy from the food it was eating. Although the horses showed some changes that resembled a human immunodeficiency disease, no specific immune tests were done on them. The outcome of the treatment for these horses is not mentioned in the study.
Abstract
Three horses suffering from malabsorption were shown to have alimentary lymphosarcoma predominantly affecting the small intestine and the associated lymph nodes. The diffuse cellular infiltration in two of the case produced marked changes in the villous architecture reducing the available mucosal surface area, and, with lowered or barely detectable disaccharidase activities, contributed to the impairment of digestive-absorptive processes. One of the horses maintained a voracious appetite and was not diarrhoeic, but failed to gain weight, indicating differences in the production and utilisation of energy sources absorbed from the small and the large intestines. A large proportion of plasma cells in the infiltrate, and the resulting morphological changes in two of the cases bore a striking resemblance to features of alpha chain disease, an immunodeficiency disease of man, although immunological studies were not conducted on these horses.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1174100/