The Equine Endocrinology Group (EEG) created a new fact sheet in 2022 on equine metabolic syndrome (EMS). The document is titled Recommendations for the Diagnosis and Management of Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS). You can read or downloaded it here.
Following is the opening explanation from Recommendations for the Diagnosis and Management of Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS).
Introduction
“Equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) is a collection of risk factors highly associated with an increased risk of hyperinsulinemia-associated laminitis (HAL) and potentially other morbidities. Insulin dysregulation (ID) is a consistent feature of EMS and increased generalized or regional adiposity is typical. Additional factors present in some animals include altered adipokine and postprandial incretin concentrations, hypertriglyceridemia, and hypertension. The syndrome may coexist with pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) in older horses.
“EMS results from an interaction between genetic and environmental factors, and the risk of laminitis in the individual animal therefore depends on the cumulative effects of these influences. There are high-genetic risk animals that develop EMS with only mild environmental influences and other horses with lower genetic risk that develop EMS through exposure to improper environments (particularly diets that are high in non-structural carbohydrates [NSC]). It might therefore be assumed that any horse can develop EMS if exposed to sufficient inciting factors: improper management, exposure to environmental factors, or epigenetic influences on gene expression.
“Insulin dysregulation is defined as any combination of basal (resting) hyperinsulinemia, postprandial hyperinsulinemia (response to oral sugar test [OST] or consumed feeds), or tissue insulin resistance (IR; hepatic and/or peripheral). Insulin dysregulation is the central endocrine disorder of EMS and is typically associated with increased generalized or regional adiposity (obese EMS) but can be detected in lean horses (non-obese EMS). It can exist in the absence of EMS in association with conditions such as PPID and also transiently with systemic illness, stress, pregnancy, and starvation. The severity of ID varies among affected animals, and there exists a subset of markedly hyperinsulinemic horses and ponies that are more challenging to manage and often require medical treatment.”
Who Is the Equine Endocrinology Group?
Experts in the field of equine endocrinology comprise the Equine Endocrinology Group (EEG). They provide advice in the form of written guidelines to help veterinary practitioners diagnose and manage equine endocrine disorders. Guidelines are updated every two years or when new information becomes available. You can find the guidelines on the EEG website.
The EMS Working Group prepared the equine metabolic syndrome document. That group consists of:
- Nicholas Frank (Group Coordinator; Tufts University);
- Simon Bailey (University of Melbourne);
- François-René Bertin (The University of Queensland);
- Teresa Burns (The Ohio State University);
- Melody de Laat (Queensland University of Technology);
- Andy Durham (Liphook Equine Hospital);
- Janice Kritchevsky (Purdue University); and
- Nicola Menzies-Gow (Royal Veterinary College).
You read or downloaded the document on equine metabolic syndrome from the Equine Endocrinology Group free of charge.
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Kimberly S. Brown is an award-winning writer and publisher. She is the Editorial Director for My Senior Horse. Brown spent 10 years at Equine Network, parent company of My Senior Horse. Prior to that she worked for three years in equine nutrition after she retired from nearly 30 years working at The Blood-Horse. Brown spent the last 15 years of her time at that organization creating and developing The Horse and TheHorse.com.View all posts